From sleight of hand to grand magic tricks, “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” is a fun movie for everyone who enjoys humorous dialogue, clever chicanery and thought-out visual effects.
The third installment in the popular “crime-fighting magicians” movie series, “Now You See Me” directed by Ruben Fleischer, worked upon the momentum and story arcs of the previous two movies. The trilogy explores corruption in various rich and powerful individuals, and in this case, a diamond merchant who inflates the market with rare, stolen diamonds from the Middle East is the main antagonist. The movie’s protagonists, Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinnley (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), Henley Reeves, (Ilsa Fisher), Lula (Lizzy Caplan), June (Ariana Greenblatt), Charlie (Justice Smith) and Bosco (Dominic Sessa) all team up to expose the corruption of antagonist, Veronika Vanderbilt (Rosamund Pike) and return the dirty money to the communities stolen from.
I really enjoyed the large-scale cast of protagonists because it shows different personalities and what kind of synergies they have together as a collective. On the other hand, I feel like the substantial amount of characters first time viewers need to learn could be overwhelming. With this being the third movie in the franchise, the actors’ execution continues to oversaturate with so much overexplanation of plot holes.
June, Carlie and Bosco, the three new protagonists to the universe, used the previous movie’s protagonists faces as a cash grab, leading to their recruitment by the horsemen. The reunited horsemen and their new recruits begin their journey against the Vanderbilt company.
The scene at the horseman base was very memorable with different people splitting off and fighting police with, as funny as it sounds, magic tricks. The way the different groups interact is enjoyable and particularly fun to watch as different zany characters all show different chemistry. There was a rotating room where the horsemen used the room to their advantage, with a maze full of mirrors and an optical illusion room with seemingly never-ending staircases.
I didn’t know that this movie was released until my parents bought tickets, but I was still pretty excited going into the film. I loved the previous two films because of the way the directors utilized cinematography and the tricks that magicians usually do. The previous two films both have a special place in my heart because of the way they seem to encapsulate my curiosity and the way they all tie into each other utilizing characters and scenery, all of which were well done.
The complexity of the story and how the producers were able to tie in so many twists and turns in the narrative was really well thought out and is something I love about the franchise. While watching the movies, I always appreciated the attention to detail that producers gave to the overarching theme of the movie. They are all about anti-corruption in the media and world leaders which I enjoy.
The performances were, at a point, sub-par and felt like it was made just to make money. At some times there were plot holes and the scenarios were too convenient for the vigilante group, but overall it was very enjoyable and I would continue watching these movies with my family as they make more of them. I would give “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” 3/5 stars.
