Director
Ruben Fleischer
(ZOMBIELAND)

Starring
Jesse Eisenberg, Dave Franco, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Rosamund Pike.

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third film in the Now You See Me franchise, reunites the charismatic Horsemen while introducing a fresh trio of young illusionists for a new heist. But whether it actually pulls off its own magic depends on how much you buy into its spectacle over substance. If the previous films were playful heists wrapped in stagecraft, this one is a full-blown spectacle that’s louder and twistier than its predecessors.

This instalment picks up about a decade after the last film, with the Horsemen now scattered around the world after their last high-profile escapade. The film wastes no time pulling them into a new, intricately orchestrated job to steal the worlds largest diamond from a morally bankrupt South African billionaire, played impeccably by Rosamund Pike. Joining the originals are three up and coming illusionists that revere the Horsemen to the point where they are using their likeness in a ruse of their own. There are even more elaborate motivations and revelations to unpack than in the previous films, keeping you guessing right to the end.   

It’s no easy feat to bring together so many big names into one film and make it work, but this franchise has never struggled in this department, refraining from reliance on a singular ‘star’ and instead letting each member of the cast play to their own strengths. The latest offering is no different, even with the additions of Pike and Justice Smith. We also have the added bonus of the return of Isla Fisher following her absence in Now You See Me 2, but without losing the hilarious attributes of Lizzy Caplan.

The overall plot and storytelling isn’t anything too remarkable, but that’s not a negative either. There’s a perfect, almost warming sense of familiarity that you get with any franchise that is consistently good without ever achieving greatness. That seems to be the theme with these films. They’re not quite Oceans 11 (12, 13 or 8), but they’re pretty damn good in their own right. At the end of the day you’re not going to be disappointed checking out the magic of the Horsemen in this perfect little popcorn flick.

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is in cinemas now.