Film Review: Now You See Me: Now You Don't 非常盜3 (2025) - USA
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critic Circle of Australia)
I rated it 6/10
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The magicians are back, shuffling continents and credibility with equal dexterity in "Now You See Me: Now You Don't." Director Ruben Fleischer, taking the reins, understands the assignment: deliver spectacle, speed, and a smirk. On those terms, it's a success, a glossy, globetrotting contraption engineered for distraction. Yet, like a trick you've seen one too many times, the initial gasp gives way to a knowing nod. The film dazzles the eye but leaves the mind – and ultimately, the heart – slightly unimpressed.
Let’s applaud where applause is due. The film excels at its primary function: showing us impossible things. Fleischer ramps up the production value considerably, crafting elaborate heists and magical set pieces across glittering international locales. They *are* fun to watch, pure cinematic sleight-of-hand executed with panache. The returning core quartet – Jesse Eisenberg’s preening Atlas, Woody Harrelson’s sardonic Merritt, Dave Franco’s slick Jack, and the welcome return of Isla Fisher’s Henley – still crackle with that infectious, competitive chemistry. Lizzy Caplan, stepping in, slots in admirably as a new recruit, radiating energy even when the script forgets to give her much substance. And Rosamund Pike, ah, she glides into the villain role with icy perfection, a welcome dose of calculated menace amidst the playful chaos.
The structure is pure "NYSM": a whirlwind chase punctuated by impossible feats, red herrings tossed like confetti, and the perpetual promise of a "big twist" designed to leave us slack-jawed. It’s a formula that worked once, powered by novelty and charm.
Alas, the burden of the formula begins to show. The plot, hurtling forward with relentless kinetic energy, becomes tangled in its own convoluted threads. Suspension of disbelief isn't just requested; it's demanded wholesale, not only for the magic itself but for the astonishingly convenient logic that stitches each elaborate sequence to the next. The newer magicians feel like attractive props rather than fully realized players in the ensemble. The script, while efficient, lacks the witty spark or deeper character beats that might have offered more than just momentum.
But the core illusion falters here: the magic. In the first film, there was a delicious ambiguity – *could* they really do this? Here, aided (or perhaps betrayed) by increasingly obvious CGI, the tricks feel less like ingenious prestidigitation and more like standard-issue movie special effects. The genuine wonder is replaced by an expectation of the digitally unbelievable. Consequently, when the film finally unveils its much-touted, earth-shattering twist, it lands with a soft thud of predictability, following the established playbook a beat too faithfully to truly astonish.
"Now You See Me: Now You Don't" is, ultimately, perfectly serviceable popcorn entertainment. It’s a shiny amusement park ride: thrilling in the moment, full of flash and velocity. Eisenberg and Harrelson remain a delight, Pike elevates her scenes, and the sheer scale is undeniable. Yet, it lacks the narrative depth, the genuine surprise, or the authentic sense of wonder required to truly captivate or linger in the memory. It’s a diverting enough illusion, skillfully performed. But when the lights come up and the smoke clears, you realize the substance vanished along with the final flourish. The trick was entertaining, yes, but the memory of it proves surprisingly fleeting. (Neo 2025)