Now you See Me: Now You Don’t

Now You See Me: Now You Don’t info:

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Writer: Michael Lesslie, Paul Wernick, and Rhett Reese

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justice Smith, Rosamund Pike, and Woody Harrelson

Hello and welcome to another week here at 1guysmindlessmoviereviews.com. Man, time is really flying by, isn’t it? I can’t believe we are only about 2 weeks out until Christmas, and another week after that until 2026 is here already. I got some magic up my sleeve that I’m planning for next year, but I won’t show my cards just yet.

I’m trying to work ahead a little bit, so this week’s movie, “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t”, has been in my mind for a couple of weeks now. It’s had time to settle, and I have several thoughts, but before the show starts… spoiler warning. If you have yet to see this and don’t want to be spoiled, then head back to my reviews here and find something you have. Otherwise, pick any card, and let’s see what I have in store for this week.

“Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” was directed by Ruben Fleischer. He also directed one of my all-time favorite films, “Zombieland”, which also starred Eisenberg and Harrelson. This has a similar vibe to it, too. Some action, some comedy, just magic instead of zombies. Ok, it may not be that similar, but you get what I’m saying. We get about what you expect a second sequel to give you. Except I think it could have been more.

Ten years have passed since the world last saw the Horseman perform, but the Eye (you need to watch the first two if you don’t know what this is) pulls them back in for another heist. The one thing this movie did exceptionally well was bring back all the characters associated with the Horseman. Eisenberg as J. Daniel Atlas, Harrelson as Merritt McKinney, Dave Franco as Jack Wilder, and Isla Fisher as Henley Reeves. I was pleasantly surprised by bigger roles for Morgan Freeman’s Thaddeus Bradley and Lizzy Caplan’s Lula (who I didn’t think would even be in this). Plus, a brief cameo by Mark Ruffalo’s Dylan Rhodes.

But I honestly thought the crux of the film was going to be sort of a passing of the torch. Since a large portion of the movie was focused on Charlie (Smith), June (Ariana Greenblatt, and Bosco (Dominic Sessa). Atlas shows up at one of the shows that the three young illusionists “perform” as the Horseman. He tells them the Eye has sent him to them for some reason. They agree to work with him to try to steal the heart diamond from Veronika Vanderberg (Pike).

When the rest of the original crew show up as well, they work together to escape and end up at Thaddeus’s mansion. This wondrous and magical place serves as both a safe haven and a turning point in the story’s plot as they uncover more details about how bad the Vanderbergs really are. Although this part runs a little longer than it should, it still ends up being my favorite part. As they separate and try to figure out all of the tricks and illusions that the house may hold.

In an unfortunate turn of events. The police show up, and Thaddeus gets shot trying to get away. As sad as this part is, I know why they did it, and it fits well with the way the franchise is potentially going. Once they regroup and add Lula back into the fold, we are ready to set up the final act and see what they have in store for us.

This is where the movie really let me down. Even though at this point, I still thought they were going to pass the torch off, letting the three newcomers to the franchise get all the glory as the other five are tricked and locked in a glass tank, it didn’t sit well with me. I love the backstory of Charlie, and the way they are able to fool Veronika was great. I just wish they had worked on the plan together the whole time. To me, that would have been more enjoyable.

Don’t get me wrong, that was a great heist, and it was very reminiscent of the first two films. I just think they could have handled it slightly differently. Then, they pull the rug out from underneath me and reveal that Rhodes was watching them the whole time, and he needs them for future jobs now. So, are we not passing the torch now? Or will it be a thing where those three bring in a fourth newcomer, and we get cameos from random Horsemen or something?

However, with that being said, the entire movie was fun, and I so enjoyed having these characters on the screen again. The heists and illusions are there, which is what makes these so great to start with. The mixing of the characters was fun, and the mansion was just all around great. I feel like they came really close to having a great product here, but just fell slightly short. So, with all that being said, I went back and forth on whether to give this a 6 or 7 (that’s for the kids). Ultimately, I landed on a 7 out of 10 for now, just based on pure fun and nostalgia.

Watch or Wait?

Well, if you’re a fan of the first two, then I would rush out to go see it now. Not only does it keep the same cast, but it also has a very similar feel, which is great since that’s what drew me to those anyway. Otherwise, I feel like you could wait for streaming in a couple of months.

Well, that’s it for me this week. So, that means it’s your turn. Have you seen “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” yet? If so, what are your thoughts? Did you like it as much as the first two, or do you think it went downhill a little bit since the first one? Let me know in the comments below, and I will answer back. The back-and-forth is what makes this so fun. Everyone have a great week ahead, and I will be back again next week with another mindless movie review of some sort… it may even be a scary one.