Now You See Me: Now You Don’t – Film Review
I was a huge fan of the original Now You See Me back in 2013 but I wasn’t as sold on its 2016 sequel, Now You See Me 2. After resting for almost 10 years, the Four Horsemen are back for more magical heist madness.
In the years since the previous film, the Four Horsemen have retired and gone their separate ways. However, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) are forced to work together again when a mysterious person sends them a playing card tasking them with stealing the world’s largest queen diamond from a family crime syndicate run by Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike). Daniel, not realising the others have been contacted, hires three young copycat illusionists to help him out – Charlie (Justice Smith), June (Ariana Greenblatt) and Bosco (Dominic Sessa).
Like the second film, you have to leave your brain at the door for this outing. The plot is messy, absolutely ludicrous and far-fetched, and I don’t know if it made any sense. There are so many twists and reveals that it’s hard to keep track of what’s going on, who has the upper hand and if it all adds up. The films have never taken themselves seriously, but the plot is so silly that you’ve got to suspend your disbelief. A lot. Director Ruben Fleischer should have injected more comedy into the proceedings to reflect this, but the jokes are hit and miss.
It was a good idea to bring fresh blood into the series (and presumably have someone to pass the torch to) and mix up the dynamics, although the dynamics with the core four had already changed due to their breakup. I liked that Henley’s storyline matched Fisher’s own – both were replaced in the sequel/the magic group because they were pregnant – but I was disappointed that she didn’t have much to do magic-wise, as they’re not putting on shows anymore. It’s all about using their sleight of hand and misdirection skills to pull off a heist.
Because the cast is now so big, nobody really gets time to be a fleshed-out character or really make their mark. As much as I enjoyed being reunited with these characters – and got a kick out of the surprise appearances – the older actors feel like they’re just phoning it in, whereas the new additions seem like they’re at least trying. But the only memorable performance is Pike, who is absolutely fabulous as the antagonist. I’m no expert, but I was convinced by her South African accent, even if I found it a bit distracting. She should be the villain more often!
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is another ridiculous yet enjoyable outing with the Horsemen. However, it is definitely the weakest of the bunch.
In cinemas from Friday 14th November