The Four Horsemen return to put on a magic show that might leave you scratching your head, but it’s up to you to decide if it’s a good thing.
I’ve always admired the Now You See Me movies. The blend of a heist with illusions and magic just entices me. I think the characters of the movies are fantastic, and their motivations are admirable, and once again the third movie succeeds at doing that. It does it while adding a new batch of magicians to the mix.
Let’s start off with the good. I love the new cast, and I’m so happy that the original cast returned. I can’t say too much about the returning cast without spoiling some of the plot, so I’ll focus on the new cast instead. Justice Smith, Ariana Greenblatt, and Dominic Sessa are exciting new additions. Not only do they challenge the Horsemen, they also add a new dynamic to the group.
Rosamund Pike is the standout however. She delivers every line with a passion for the Joburg mom accent. She is phenomenal and a fun villain to watch. Ag shame, she really could’ve been South African. The rest of the supporting cast are good as well.
The illusions and the action sequences are all so awesome. It’s the reason we watch these movies. We want to see the trick and know the secret behind it. This works well because of the cast’s chemistry, some cool camera tricks, and a fairly memorable soundtrack. I also love all the South African and African references.
Now for the okayish part of the movie. The story is intriguing, but they could’ve gone deeper. I feel like it lacked a little depth, as well as the magic from the first two films. The film is in no way bad. It could’ve benefited from a few extra magic tricks and not the ones they used for exposition. Maybe it’s just me, but I think they could’ve done so much more with the South African portion of the film.
And now the bad, the dialogue. I enjoyed the jokes, and I especially loved the South African words scattered in the dialogue, but sometimes it feels like they didn’t even try with the dialogue. I get it, they want us to focus on the tricks and not the words, but I really love the words. Words can turn a good story into an unforgettable one. I do think this movie is memorable, but it might become forgettable.
All that said, I still think this movie is worth the watch, and the bigger the screen, the better the illusion. I liked it a lot, and I know many people will love it. That’s why I can gladly recommend it. You’ll definitely like it if you watched the first two, and I think you can still enjoy it even if you didn’t watch the first two. I know I said a few not too good things about this movie, but I still love this franchise and can’t wait to see where it heads next.
