Now You See Me: Now You Dont review: Magic, smart-mouthing, and generational conflict
You want to feel old? The 2013 hit Now You See Me has a third entry in its trilogy, and it’s all about youths versus the "olds." Sure, at its core, this heist franchise still showcases entertaining magicians using their sleight-of-hand skills to Robin Hood ill-gotten gains from the rich to give back to the poor, oppressed, and conned. But this time, the Horsemen (Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, and Woody Harrelson) are also riled by (shakes fist from front porch) the youths (Barbie's Ariana Greenblatt, The Holdovers' Dominic Sessa, and I Saw the TV Glow's Justice Smith).
In a naked attempt to excite Gen Z and Gen Alpha about this franchise that fell fallow after the pitifully named sequel Now You See Me 2 in 2016, Now You See Me: Now You Don't weaves in this trio of new and younger magicians to keep the Horsemen's story fresh. But the execution of this youthful (and clichéd) makeover is awkwardly mixed.
Now You See Me: Now You Don't sets up a sensational villain in Rosamund Pike.
Now You See Me had Michael Caine bringing his storied snarl to the villainous role of a shady insurance magnate. He came back for the sloppy sequel, with Daniel Radcliffe playing his magic-obsessed, tech-bro nepo baby. Now You See Me: Now You Don't breaks from this corrupt family line to find another, and it’s even more villainous, as their corruption dates back to Nazi gold.
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, Saltburn) brings her regal demeanor and cutting intensity to Veronika Vanderberg, a diamond dealer whose mines exploit workers while her business launders money for war lords, kingpins, and dictators worldwide. Naturally, she needs to be taken down a peg. Who better to do so than the Horsemen, who've already Fast and Furioused their way through a pair of wealthy, reckless villains to worldwide acclaim? There's just one problem: The Horsemen split up. So, Danny Atlas (Eisenberg) is teaming with a trio of Bushwick squatters for help.
An opening sequence introduces this dynamic team (and a couple of celebrity impressions): Bosco (Sessa); an agile pickpocket with a flair for parkour named June (Greenblatt); and Charlie (Smith) a foster kid who shuns the spotlight but loves designing the high-tech hologram illusions. Together with Atlas, they'll chase down the priceless Heart Diamond to make the world a less economically extreme place. And yeah, along the way, they'll pick up a Horsemen (or four).
Now You See Me: Now You Don't feels dated from the start.
Want to show these kids are anti-establishment and ready for action? Cue June parkouring up the outside of a shuttered Bushwick factory to allow her brothers in magic entry to their secret lair. After ripping off smug crypto bros, Bosco will level Atlas-level snark at the man himself as he spills out his team’s backstories, which include fixing the world the "olds" broke. Between Bosco and Atlas, there's a sense that Now You See Me: Now You Don't might be attempting to pass the torch to the next generation of Horsemen. However, this kind of move has previously failed, in Mission: Impossible (sorry, Jeremy Renner), Indiana Jones (tough stuff, Shia LaBeouf), and Jurassic World (oof, Chris Pratt).
Whatever the end game for these newcomers, Now You See Me: Now You Don't too often uses them to make tedious jokes about getting older and being vexed about slang and trends. Harrelson is subjected to most of the heavy lifting on this point, misusing Gen Z slang in a very news-anchor-capitalizing-on-6-7 way, or scoffing over the very idea of an alcoholic seltzer beverage. (As if Zima wasn't a whole thing long before these kids were born).
Such lame attempts at generational conflict might be intended to create tension, or to explore the Horsemen's fear that they're (to steal from Lethal Weapon) "too old for this shit." But mostly, it's used as an excuse to not bother building out the younger characters in a compelling way. They are defined not so much by who they are, but how they compare to the Horsemen in craft, charisma, and tragic backstory.
Now You See Me: Now You Don't is a jumble, not a puzzle.
Bouncing between eight or so main characters, this sequel is so overcrowded with plot that exposition dumps are happening more often than the magic tricks. Those tricks, which make use of camera tricks and much, much CGI, are fleeting fun. But the bigger mystery is hardly a mystery at all. I'm sorry to say, I cracked the big twist about a third of the way through the film, despite all the jet-setting, disguises, subterfuge, and razzle-dazzle.
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The script is so overcrowded that it feels like it was written by committee. And indeed it was. The screenplay credits Seth Grahame-Smith (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), Michael Lesslie (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), and the Deadpool writing team of Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese. These different styles don't blend together like they might in a Horseman magic show; they collide to construct a sequel that is frustratingly expected. These screenwriters pull plot twists from the previous two films and stunt spectacles from 1951's Royal Wedding's ceiling dance (though some might credit its descendant action scene in Inception). Plot holes are littered throughout, while the big twist is telegraphed way too soon. So, even if the cast — new and returning — gives their all, the big finale feels like a letdown.
Still, it's fun to see the Horsemen team up again. Wounded by Atlas' updated backstory, Eisenberg brings an edge of hurt into his cocky persona that plays well against the brashness of Bosco. Harrelson is ever the game jokester, even when the jokes he's given are achingly weak. Franco still crackles as a card-flinging con man, while Fisher is earnest and elegant — even revisiting the notoriously dangerous stunt from the first film. And without giving away cameos, there's more fun from other deeply weird and charismatic cohorts to be had too.
To the credit of the new additions, Sessa, Smith, and Greenblatt stand up well, not only to the cozy ensemble from the previous films, but also to Pike, who plays her villainous Veronica like a snake with a vicious smile. Sure, these roles are achingly underwritten. But Sessa leans into swagger, which should serve him well in the Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony, which he's tackling next. Greenblatt brings moxie, as she did to Barbie and Borderlands. But it's Smith, who's shown a terrific range across movies like I Saw the TV Glow, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu, who truly shines, offering a fresh showcase of his abilities as he plays comedy, drama, and even gives some well-timed smolder.
Frankly, the star power of this movie alone might be enough for Now You See Me fans hungry for more hijinks and hilarity. That this sequel does nothing all that new or even surprising might not be a glitch, but a feature. Why challenge an audience when you can wrap them within the warm certainty that no matter how twisted economic equality is making the world for everyday men and Horsemen, a scrappy group of clever individuals can pull together to save the day. It's an attractive premise. And like the Fast and Furious franchise, Now You See Me; Now You Don't runs even more into superhero territory by creating impossible stunts and impossible outcomes. That's the joy of these films for sure. It's just a shame this one doesn't aim to shock and awe us with anything new or even challenging.
