“The closer they look, the less they’ll actually see.” It’s the mantra that’s become a guiding principle for the Now You See Me franchise, and it applies as much to the various goons hunting the Four Horsemen — the ragtag group of magicians who also pull off elaborate heists — as it does to the audience looking for meaning within this trilogy. It doesn’t get much sillier than Now You See Me, a relic of noughties blockbuster filmmaking that has, somehow, managed to defy its own demise at every turn. That we’re getting a third film nearly 10 years after its last is a magic trick unto itself, an upset that shouldn’t work... and, admittedly, almost doesn’t.
After the mixed bag that was Now You See Me 2, this franchise has a lot to make up for. Its last sequel was an overwrought attempt to tell a bigger, better story: the answer to the Fast and the Furious saga for magic nerds. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t has those same ambitions, and it’s likewise pulling out all the stops to get there. It’s just as corny, far-fetched, and chaotic as the films that precede it, with a dizzying plot that makes less sense the more you think about it. But those who found anything to love in this franchise before know not to analyze this caper too closely. Now You See Me 3 is genuinely fun — but you might have to turn your brain off to enjoy it.
