What sleight of hand does it take to turn the classic Four Horsemen into 10? Just this past weekend, the answer to this question was released in the form of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third addition to the Now You See Me franchise. And yes, this series, after a decade-long hiatus, has definitely become a franchise. Not because of the new film’s admittedly few merits, but because of the mindless dredging of the first two films to capitalize on the bare skeleton of their glory. With three new faces added to a cast already bursting with callbacks, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t simply doesn't have the time to spotlight each Horseman and thus, can’t anchor the action-packed plot in their characters.
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t picks up the Horsemen’s story around 10 years after the events of Now You See Me 2, once again setting the events in the “present” of the film’s release. The film opens with the Horsemen back together at a performance with QR code posters, red Solo cups and references to the pandemic which make the entire sequence immediately relatable. However, the Horsemen’s lines quickly grow stale as they dump the exposition of everything that has transpired in the last 10 years without the characteristic wit and bravado that marked their original stage presence. I was equally annoyed and relieved when the first big reveal unmasked the performers as not the Horsemen after all, but fakes created by a group of three teens: Charlie (Justice Smith), Bosco (Dominic Sessa) and June (Ariana Greenblatt). By invalidating the previous tedious exposition, the reputation of the Four Horsemen’s silver tongues was preserved.
But not for long, because in a few minutes, enter J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg): just as arrogant as he ever was. While Atlas does resurrect a bit of wit, it is reserved for a blank-faced insult battle with Bosco, where the primary spectacle is their attacks upon each other’s names, akin to an elementary school “yo’ mama” or “no, you.” Once again, Atlas seems to find his niche in berating his fellow magicians when he can’t control them.
In spite of Atlas’ abrasive nature, he is somehow able to talk the three teens into an ambitious plan to steal a gem valued at half a million dollars from diamond magnate Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike). While the idea of circumventing such a gem’s security is frankly ludicrous, I did enjoy this sequence for its cinematography if not for its plausibility. Like the Horsemen reveal from previous films, the initial events were followed by smoothly panning focus shots that unveiled the magic behind the scenes. This use of the film’s iconic style in a new context was a much-needed refresher between the film’s clunky attempts to distinguish itself from its predecessors.
When the other three original horsemen, Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), usher in their requisite exposition dumps, things returned to worse. The film shifts from a heist into the first of many all-out fistfights, where the frame moves chaotically and the magic becomes second to the mayhem. It’s as if with all the characters, fast-paced combat becomes just a flashy way to give each a blazing moment in the spotlight. And, like the heist resolving within the film’s first quarter, this high is an instant that leaves the rest of the film with little to build towards.
Unfortunately, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’s two best performances in the enigmatic Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) and the hilarious Lula (Lizzy Caplan) were cut short and introduced late, respectively. Bradley appeared shortly after all the Horsemen got back together, but only had three brief scenes before a dramatic and definite departure. I really wish there was more to say, but the squandering of Freeman’s talents in such a trifling role left barely any performance to comment on. On the other hand, Lula was absent until about halfway through the film, where she arrives with scene-stealing passion. In addition to shining in her own role, Caplan engaged the rest of the cast, particularly Dave Franco, and elevated the monotonous sub-par performances of disillusioned “maturity” to palatable levels with her open-faced humor.
Finally, to those watching for Mark Ruffalo’s Dylan Shrike: don’t. The headliner only shows up in the last 10 minutes of the film as a prerecorded hologram teasing Now You See Me 4. Interviews with the production team explain this as a result of Ruffalo’s busy schedule, but, regardless of the reason, this token appearance just echoes his similar, and highly criticized, role as the MCU’s in-universe upcoming movie marketer.
Making a sequel is always risky movie magic because the result always needs to expand upon the precedent of the original. However, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’s large cast of characters, which they don’t have enough time to properly feature, ultimately feels like a cheap trick to exploit nostalgia for the first two films. Just like the franchise's own cautionary tale of Lionel Shrike, the Now You See Me films, after 10 years in the shadows, attempted to seize acclaim with their biggest illusion yet, only to flounder in their own ambition. So, as it turns out, it’s quite easy to turn Four Horsemen into 10 if you’re willing to spread their substance and your story thin.
Wyatt Tamamoto is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. He can be reached at wkt22@cornell.edu.
