Now You See Me: Now You Don't

Now You See Me: Now You Don't
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher
Directed by Ruben Fleischer

Magic is a fun thing to witness live. Watching the seemingly impossible happen right before your eyes has delighted audiences for centuries, and left us wondering how the tricks were done (as we all know a true magician never tells). When magic is put on the big screen, however, some of that "magic" is lost because it's not live - it's something that can be highly edited to make us see what we want to see. While this could be seen as a detriment, the "Now You See Me" franchise has made an art form out of it: while it relies heavily on editing, we're still awestruck at what we see, and thankfully we get an explanation as to why it worked instead of just blindly believing the editing worked itself. It doesn't hurt having four highly capable A-list celebrities at the helm, and now with the long-gestating "Now You See Me: Now You Don't" we're gifted with a slew of actors on screen, which both helps and hinders the franchise.

It's been over ten years since The Horsemen performed their last magic trick, and the world is aching for more magic, and for people to stand up for the little guy. Magicians Bosco (Dominic Sessa), June (Ariana Greenblatt) and Charlie (Justice Smith) use the essence of The Horsemen to aid in social activism and give money back to those who got it stolen, while also profiting a bit themselves. One night after using the likeness of The Horsemen they're visited by their leader, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) with a mysterious tarot card that pointed him to the trio. He needs their help - steal the priceless Heart Diamond from Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), a money launderer who sells to the highest military bidder and who's family is deeply connected to the atrocities of World War II. Soon, however, Atlas finds he's not the only former Horsemen after the diamond, as he's joined by Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher) to retrieve the diamond as well, all of whom were given mysterious tarot cards like Atlas.

One of the real magic tricks in the "Now You See Me" franchise is how successful it's been despite negative critical reviews, earning over $700 million worldwide. Maybe it's the sense of wonder that it elicits in the audience, maybe it's the chemistry between the leads, or maybe it's the highly cerebral storylines that demand viewers to pay attention to every small detail, but the first two movies were highly enjoyable rides to take. The third outing, thankfully, continues that trend, but also becomes the least of the three due to a few small issues.

First what the movie does right. It is a world-trotting caper movie that makes the magicians like the drivers in the "Fast and the Furious" movies, giving a familial connection between them that makes them completely endearing to the audience. They quip on one another, insult each other, and try to one-up each other, but ultimately they're a family unit that will do anything to protect each other and work together to overcome the evils in the world. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher have a natural chemistry that makes it effortless to connect with them and appreciate everything they bring to the movies, including this one.

Now for the negative: there's too many people in this movie. Eisenberg, Harrelson, Franco and Fisher are more than enough to hold the movie, but now we're introduced to three new magicians (more than likely introduced in hopes of elongating the franchise, in case any of the main leads decide to not continue with it). Adding the talents of "The Holdovers" star Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt and Justice Smith both helps and hurts the movie in that all three are equally connected, but we don't get too much depth to their characters. Sessa's Bosco is the leader of his group much like Atlas, and the two come to blows on more than one occasion where Atlas tries to tutor Bosco in his own condescending yet nurturing way, but it feels like he never really learns his lesson. Greenblatt's June is the pickpocketer of the group, taken under Franco's Jack's wing, but we don't really know a lot about her in the end. Smith's Charlie is content with being the hidden man, and naturally Henley takes him in under her wing because she too at one point felt fine with hiding in the shadows before realizing she was really hiding from her true self. Again, none of the three newcomers have enough development to make them anything more than the younger Horsemen to take up the mantle.

A mixed bag comes with the movie's villain, played by Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike. Veronika Vanderberg is the female equivalent of a mustache twirling baddie who uses her sophistication and power to dominate the narrative. She's fierce, relentless, and calculated - a wonderfully written villain that highlights Pike's natural charisma. Yet the movie - already overstuffed - reduces her to more a cartoonish villain that Dr. Evil's son would despise: in one moment she has the Horsemen right where she wants them, then walks away to leave them to their supposed deaths, and I just heard Dr. Evil's son yell, "but you have a gun, you could just shoot them and it'd be done with!" Stupid sharks. Still, she is great as the baddie in the movie, even if she's overshadowed by the huge ensemble cast.

The effects, action, and use of magic are other great aspects of the movie, as the Horsemen traversing a mysterious French castle that includes a hall of mirrors, an upside down room, and one that seems to transcend space itself makes you feel like you're privy to the best escape room ever. Seeing them fight hand-to-hand (and magic-to-hand) is exciting and exhilarating. The magic - the main focus of the movie - is excellent, leaving you wondering how they did it, and given an explanation afterward reminiscent of the "Ocean's Eleven" movies.

One final negative is the pacing of the film, which feels jittery and mismatched at times, and at a movie that runs only 112 minutes, could've benefited by another twenty minutes or so. Some members of the group gets arrested, breaks out, some get captured again, a trade is offered and it feels so disjointed and anti-climactic. The movie runs in circles in the middle half before hitting its stride again. A few times the movie feels like it stops and starts without rhyme or reason, but in the end it could've just been the slight of hand to draw our attention elsewhere.

Although it includes more characters than it needed, there's still some magic left in the "Now You See Me" franchise, and hopefully this will serve as a new kickstart to the franchise to continue for years to come.

The Score: A