Words by JANE CROWTHER
It’s been over a decade since Robin Hood magician Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), mind-reader Merritt (Woody Harrelson), card shark Jack (Dave Franco), and escapologist Henley (Isla Fisher) got together as ‘The Horsemen’ to use their illusions and tricks to teach bad guys a lesson. Summoned by mysterious society, The Eye, the Horsemen are brought together with a new pack of young magicians to chase a McGuffin diamond around Europe and try to break the icy composure of South Africa mine owner Veronica Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike).
The new crew are played by Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt and Justice Smith but their MO is familiar. They like to sleight-of-hand steal fortunes from toxic tech bros and redistribute to their Gen Z audience via a series of fancy rabbit-out-the-hat stunts. On the trail of Vanderberg’s dirty arms money and fabulous gowns, the gang pitch up in Antwerp then find themselves in a fun house of illusion in Normandy, before private jetting to the Middle East for F1 shenanigans (one of them clearly has an expense account).
There’s a third reel reveal that can be guessed a mile off, a cameo from Morgan Freeman and a number of daft ‘magic’ tricks that impress on presentation rather than plausibility. For those seeking a perfect ‘second screening’ experience (the ability of a film to bring an audience along even if they’re simultaneously scrolling on another device), Now You See Me 3 provides constant exposition and a likable tongue-in-cheek vibe from a cast who clearly enjoyed reuniting. Newbie Pike is delicious as a foe, with an Afrikaans accent as clear-cut as her gems and haircut. She imperiously sells the Bond-lite energy almost singlehandedly, as one might expect from the former Miranda Frost.
In light of a recent real-life heist at the Louvre, it’s perhaps easier to suspend disbelief as the team lift the world’s largest diamond with some misdirection and costume changes. But the best magic tricks are those performed cinematically; fun fisticuffs in a forced perspective room, the incantation to Talladega Nights’ Ricky Bobby during a car chase, a pleasingly silly deception involving a lorry and a fog machine… Logic should be abandoned by all who enter, but for those looking for an amiable throwback romp, this threequel is diverting enough. But the success of the illusion relies on an audience not questioning the mechanics too robustly.
Words by JANE CROWTHER
Pictures courtesy of Lionsgate
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is in cinemas now
