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Now You See Me: Now You Don't (PG-13)

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher

Release Date: November 14, 2025

Runtime: 1 hr. 53 mins.

Genre: Thriller, Adventure

The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher) are back — to unite with a new generation of illusionists (Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt) for their most global, high-stakes magical adventure yet. Their mission: Expose the corruption of Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a powerful diamond heiress with ties to arms dealers, traffickers, and warlords. Aided by the legendary Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman), the two generations of magicians must overcome their differences to try and defeat their cunning and dangerous adversary, in this magic-fueled heist filled with the franchise’s signature twists, turns, and thrilling reveals — along with some of the most thrilling illusions ever captured on film.

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Review

Three years after the modest 2013 hit Now You See Me, the filmmakers decided to make an ill-advised sequel, even though the original had all the earmarks of a stand-alone film. Sure enough, the second installment underwhelmed, shedding nearly every quality that had made the first production an understated pleasure. Now comes Now You See Me: Now You Don't, an even more ill-advised attempt to create a "franchise" where none exists. This movie falls into the ever-expanding category of "follow-up films no one actually wants."

There's a great fear in Hollywood that AI will soon begin stealing screenwriting work. I can guarantee AI was not involved in scripting this movie because it would have done a far superior job. In fact, if Now You See Me: Now You Don't is an example of the best human beings can do, bring on the machines. The word "dumb" doesn't begin to cover how moronic this would-be caper is. From its incessant, excessive exposition to its cringe-worthy dialogue to its saccharine and ineffective dramatic beats, almost nothing works. The chemistry among the actors - which was a big selling point for Now You See Me and its sequel - has faded to a reedy echo of what it once was. The action sequences are snooze-worthy. The flippant tone made me feel like I was being flipped off. This is what a desperate money-grab looks like. I'm pretty sure Morgan Freeman was well-paid. Ditto for Mark Ruffalo, who only has a cameo. Michael Caine likely took one look at the script and decided to stay retired.

The movie takes place ten years after the last performance of the magician superstars, the Four Horsemen. The five members of that group - J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), and Lula May (Lizzy Caplan) - have stepped away from their criminal activities to live normal lives. Into the breach comes a new trio - Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco (Dominic Sessa), and June (Ariana Greenblatt) - with designs on becoming the next Robin Hood-inspired magic act. When they deepfake the original Four Horsemen as part of an elaborate stunt to redistribute the wealth of a billion-dollar crypto scammer, it brings Daniel and the others out of hiding. The two groups decide to band together as they set their sights on Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a diamond magnate and money-laundering queen. As they scheme to steal her prized possession - a giant, heart-shaped diamond worth half a billion dollars - they get help from their old friend Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman).

Paradoxically, the narrative is both convoluted and straightforward. No attempt is made to link any of the magic tricks to anything real. Even more so than in the previous two films, this is obviously Hollywood special-effects trickery, not something David Copperfield or David Blaine would do onstage. The storyline is thin; the film's sole objective is to take down a woman known to launder money for despots and master criminals worldwide. Maybe it's just me but, as nefarious characteristics go, isn't this a little... pathetic? Couldn't they have shoehorned in a touch of megalomania to liven things up?

The actors are playing cartoon versions of the characters they previously portrayed. Granted, the personalities weren't developed with much depth in the earlier films, but this outing makes no attempt to present any of these individuals as people worth caring about on any level. Daniel acts like a know-it-all, Merritt drops one-liners, Jack smirks, Henley basks in the spotlight of her return after missing installment #2, Lula mutters about being overlooked now that Henley is back, and Thaddeus uses that famous voice to good effect.

Many of the film's cascading flaws could have been overlooked if the final heist had been tricky, tense, and fun. It's none of those things. In addition to being anticlimactic, the mandatory explanation proves how thin and pointless the enterprise is. The entire affair is so badly bungled that there isn't even a briefly satisfying moment of catharsis. The obvious next act for these Horsemen is to vanish - and never come back.

© 2025 James Berardinelli

Synopsis

The Four Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher) are back — to unite with a new generation of illusionists (Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt) for their most global, high-stakes magical adventure yet. Their mission: Expose the corruption of Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a powerful diamond heiress with ties to arms dealers, traffickers, and warlords. Aided by the legendary Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman), the two generations of magicians must overcome their differences to try and defeat their cunning and dangerous adversary, in this magic-fueled heist filled with the franchise’s signature twists, turns, and thrilling reveals — along with some of the most thrilling illusions ever captured on film.