Now You See Me: Now You Don’t: Magical Mess

by Rohan Connolly

The Now You See Me franchise is back and better than ever. Twelve years since the original film, the Horsemen are here to stay. The newest installment in the series, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (2025), further expands the network of scrappy magicians as well as the scope of their heists. As a fan of spectacle, these films are my bread and butter. Who can argue against up-close illusions, constant quips, and stealing from the rich? 

Now You Don’t finds the original group of Horsemen broken up. Slight of hand expert Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) is doing tricks on cruise ships, escape artist Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), who was absent from the second film, has moved to the suburbs and started a family, master mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) is spending his days drinking in Mexico, and leader of the group J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) is on a mission. The secret magician society “The Eye” has sent Atlas to find the new additions to the group: cheeky pick pocket June (Ariana Greenblatt), sheepish man behind-the-scenes Charlie (Justice Smith), and cynical all-rounder Bosco (Dominic Sessa) in order to pull-off their biggest steal yet—the Heart Diamond. 

While it may have seemed like cause for concern, the newbies in the group are an excellent addition. What could have been a disingenuous cash-grab at expanding the universe, resulted in standout performances from Sessa and Smith in particular. The returning cast as well is giving it their all, despite the fact that this could be a film easily phoned in. Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson are always great, you can feel Dave Franco’s excitement through the screen, and it’s a pleasure to see Isla Fisher back in the series. Rosamund Pike, despite her messy accent, is captivating as Veronika Vanderberg, the corrupt, South African diamond heiress who falls victim to their illusions. It is also exciting to see the team fully reunited with Lizzy Caplan reprising her role of Lula from the second film, and Morgan Freeman coming back as the legendary Thaddeus Bradley.

Don’t let this praise trick you, the film is messy. The magic is impossible, the story is convoluted, and the film is overall tacky, but that is what makes it beautiful. It’s silly, fun, ridiculous, and I had a smile on my face the whole time. The twists and reveals had me laughing, smiling, and gasping, and the ending had me tearing up—not at the story itself, but at the sheer excitement of seeing this magic on the big screen again. 

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is a great time, and it doesn’t present itself as more than that. The audiences in attendance of their shows on screen are hoping to be fooled, as am I when I sit to watch the film. At the beginning of the movie, Franco’s Jack Wilder tells us, “Let’s face it, you all need magic now more than ever,” and we do. We need to be dazzled, and Now You See Me is here to do it.