Now You See Me was released in 2013, with Now You See Me 2 following three years later. Close to a decade on, Now You See Me: Now You Don't arrives in theaters this weekend.
The review embargo has just lifted, and as we first shared on ActioNewz.com, it sits at a "Fresh" 65% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's an improvement over the first movie's 51% and the follow-up's dismal 34%. While the threequel has debuted with a franchise-best Tomatometer score, its odds of avoiding the dreaded green splat as more verdicts are added are TBD.
It would need to slip under 60% for that to happen, which is a very real risk when only 37 reviews have been counted as of now.
The reviews are mixed, though it does seem to be a bit of a love/hate situation as of now, with a few ending up somewhere in between. In other words, if you weren't already a fan of the Now You See Me movies, this latest caper likely won't change your mind.
"You start to long for the simplicity of a basic card trick," writes The Hollywood Reporter. "While Now You See Me: Now You Don’t proves undeniably entertaining, it’s more than a little exhausting as well." Variety counters, "[Now You See Me: Now You Don't] does it all in good fun. Which is all this movie is or needs to be."
The Mary Sue posits, "If you love this franchise for the fun magic tricks and the sometimes cheesy jokes, you’re in for a great time and hey, what if we make more of these movies just for fun?" The Daily Beast argues, "Its most impressive feat, however, is finding a way to somehow be even duller than its predecessors."
IndieWire had a far more positive take. "I felt, if not magic, a generous dash of cinematic enchantment. Let’s make four more of these things," the site argues, only for Screen Rant to state, "Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson et al return to join Dominic Sessa and others in a convoluted trick of hollow nostalgia."
Ultimately, Globe and Mail seems to best sum up the issue with this latest instalment. "For a franchise built on surprise and misdirection, the spectacle of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is all too familiar and lacking in the sheer gusto and ridiculous flair that made the original movie such a hit," they shared.
In Now You See Me: Now You Don't, The Four Horsemen return along with a new generation of illusionists performing mind-melding twists, turns, surprises, and magic unlike anything ever captured on film.
Directed by Ruben Fleischer (Venom, Uncharted, Zombieland), the movie stars Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, with Rosamund Pike, and Morgan Freeman.
Now You See Me: Now You Don't arrives in theaters this weekend.