Movie Reviews
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t Movie Reviews Are In – And There’s One Clear Critics’ Consensus
The first critics’ reactions to Now You See Me: Now You Don’t are finally here, and they largely agree that the Lionsgate threequel is another major hit. After being stuck in development, the highly anticipated Now You See Me Sequel will finally arrive in theaters on November 14, 2025, continuing the story of the iconic Four Horsemen, illusionists and street magicians who are experts in orchestrating elaborate heists.
In Now You See Me‘s third installment, the Four Horsemen recruit three skilled illusionists for another heist involving the world’s largest queen diamond before finding it belongs to a powerful crime syndicate. The hype surrounding the movie is poised to rise after the first wave of reactions had high praise for the project.
Critics who saw an early screening of Now You See Me: Now You Don’t in New York shared their first reactions on X. The threequel received largely positive reactions, with nearly all critics saying that it is thoroughly entertaining and fun.
Film critic Andre Saint-Albin described the film as “a sleight-of-hand masterpiece,” noting that Now You See Me 3 has an “entertaining story” and a “phenomenal diamond heist.” He also teased that the film has an “epic” third act while also praising the new casting additions:
“‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ is a sleight-of-hand masterpiece! The Four Horsemen (Eisenberg, Harrelson, Franco, Fisher) return for their next trick with an entertaining story & a phenomenal diamond heist. Smith, Sessa & Greenblatt plant the seeds as Gen-Z firebrands, clashing with old-school magic. New seeds, old tricks, epic third act! Fleischer’s directs a ride so good fun you’d swear it was sorcery!”
Entertainment reporter Jonathan Sim boldly claimed that Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is a “funny, thrilling heist movie” and teased that it was “filled with surprises:”
“#NowYouSeeMe: Now You Don’t gives us the magic we’ve been waiting for. A funny, thrilling heist movie. The Horsemen are back in action with non-stop fun, tricks, and joy. The new characters are an A+ addition. Filled with surprises and just as dazzling and astonishing as ever.”
While Critics Choice’s Tony Mosello admitted that it’s more of the same, he said that fans will love Now You See Me: Now You Don’t due to its fun “twists and surprises, with elevated stakes:”
“NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T proves the original Horsemen still have “it”, injecting the show with youthful energy via the newcomers and a fun, campy, and villainous Rosamund Pike. Full of twists and surprises, with elevated stakes; it’s more of the same, but fans will LOVE it.”
CinemaBlend’s Riley Utley shared that the threequel made her “smile from ear to ear,” and the movie reminded her why the first movie made her fall in love with films in the first place:
“‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ reiterates with exclamation points why the first ‘Now You See’ movie was one of the projects that made me fall in love with movies. There’s nothing better than projects that make me smile from ear to ear, blow my mind and make it clear why movies are magic.”
That Hashtag Show’s Manny Gomez praised how the latest Now You See entry allowed the original cast to “set the stage for the new magicians to shine:”
“#NowYouSeeMe is a fun addition to the franchise that allows the beloved cast to set the stage for the new magicians to shine. Loved the magic… misdirection… and twists and turns that make going to the movies fun.”
The Direct’s David Thompson was proud to declare that the “magic is back” in the Now You See Me franchise after seeing that the third installment was filled with “some satisfying twists and turns:”
“Happy to report the magic is BACK in the #NowYouSeeMe franchise — loved the new cast, a bunch of fun sequences, & some satisfying twists and turns.”
Film critic and The Film Blerds host Brandon Norwood said that fans of the series will definitely “love” Now You See Me: Now You Don’t because it is “thoroughly entertaining:”
“NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T: Thoroughly entertaining! The younger cast mixes in well with the OGs. Fans of the series, you’ll love this. Really miss mid-budget studio popcorn fare like this.”
Popternative’s Christopher Gallardo enjoyed the latest Now You See Me entry and described it as a “new-gen rivals old-gen story” that has a special flair:
“NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T is an exciting thrill-ride with all the tricks and dazzle you’d want. It’s a ‘new-gen rivals old-gen’ story with a special flair that shines with it’s fun cast chemistry. Sessa, Greenblatt, and Smith especially rock all throughout!”
FandomWire’s PossesSEAN gave high praise to the movie’s “impressively staged set pieces,” calling the threequel a “great popcorn movie:”
“#NowYouSeeMe: NOW YOU DON’T was catnip for me — another exhilarating, funny caper with some of the most impressively staged set pieces of the year. A great blend of old and new that effectively ups the stakes and scale. What a great popcorn movie!”
Ethan Simmie of The Movie Draft Podcast admitted that Now You See Me: Now You Don’t went “full Mission: Impossible mode,” with him celebrating the fact that it was “some of the most fun” he’s had at the movies this year:
“NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T is some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies all year! This entry goes full Mission: Impossible mode and is hilarious, entertaining, and perfectly meta. I could watch one of these every single year forever. We really do come to the movies for magic.”
Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is one of the 12 biggest sequels in 2025. The movie has a stacked cast, including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco. They are joined by newcomers Justice Smith, Ariana Greenblatt, Dominic Sessa, and Rosamund Pike. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t will premiere in theaters on November 14, 2025.
Now You See Me 3’s Success Could Lead to Franchise’s Promising Future
Based on the first wave of reactions, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t seems poised for success, which is good for the franchise’s future. Moreover, widespread critical praise could boost the movie’s box office returns.
The long wait for Now You See Me: Now You Don’t could be seen as an advantage because it offers a sense of nostalgia to original fans. The nine-year gap also allowed the movie’s writers to strike an ideal balance, crafting intricate heists while establishing seamless chemistry between the returning cast and new additions.
If successful, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t could lead to future installments or potential spin-offs. With prequel entries to many recognizable franchises like Alien: Earth (read more about Season 2 here) and It: Welcome to Derry finding success in streaming, the threequel’s triumph at the box office could push Lionsgate to explore a spin-off focusing on the younger versions of the Horsemen.
Other Noteworthy Elements
Ryan and Ella’s marriage appears to be on the rocks. Ella wonders if Ryan only married her for the perks of her career (even when they were young, it was clear Ella had a big future in store). And Ryan’s foul behavior suggests this is true.
When Ella forgets to thank Ryan for his support during a speech (because she gets flustered by unexpected interruptions from Governor Bill), Ryan essentially throws a temper tantrum. He uses the incident to try to convince Ella to get him a political position (egged on by his mother, who belittles her own husband). He then resorts to unscrupulous means to manipulate and embarrass Ella, holding the threat of divorce over her head.
We’re told that other politicians despise Ella. Her very presence reminds them of their own inadequacies as policymakers and compromises they’ve made as politicians. (At one point, Ella criticizes the majority of her fellow politicians for spending more time campaigning than they do reading proposed legislation.) Even Bill, when Ella asks him for advice, is hesitant to openly support Ella, since it could hurt his own career. As such, the film seems to serve as a commentary on the political state at large: Ella literally says, “You can’t be popular and fix anything.”
Not long after Eddie’s affairs come out, Helen hugs him and tells him she loves him but that she’ll never forgive him for cheating on his wife. Years later, Eddie seemingly tries to make amends with his children, but it’s fueled by a selfish desire, since his current girlfriend told him she wouldn’t marry him unless he made up with his kids. And when Helen tells Eddie that he needs to stop messing up long enough for his kids to forgive him and do the work required to fix his relationships, he retorts that his kids will “be better” once they forgive him.
We learn that Ella’s mom passed away young, though we’re not given the details of what caused her death. Eddie admits that he sent Casey to military school after her death because he “didn’t want the responsibility” and that he avoided Ella because he was scared of how she’d react to that decision. (At the film’s start, he and Ella haven’t spoken in 13 years.)
A politician uses a cheat sheet of sorts while calling donors to make it seem like he cares about them. People lie, scheme and manipulate others. We hear about political blackmail and bribery. Casey’s job involves advising people on sports betting. A trooper assigned to Ella’s protection unit purposely goes into overtime in spite of a budget crisis because he’s tight on cash and apparently going through an expensive divorce.
Casey is described as agoraphobic because he hasn’t left his house in 13 months. However, he insists that his reclusiveness is a choice—that he can leave whenever he wants. But he does seem to have some severe anxiety about leaving, and we learn that his self-imposed solitary confinement followed an embarrassing romantic mishap. His house is littered with dirty dishes and bags of trash.
A woman gets petty revenge against someone by calling the health department on his pizzeria and getting it shut down.
[Spoiler warning] Ryan, in a strange grab for attention, starts a political scandal for Ella involving blackmail and bribery. He gives Ella an ultimatum, and Ella responds that if he loved her—if he even liked her—he wouldn’t be doing this to her. Because Ryan doesn’t get what he wants, he blames the blackmail and bribery on Ella, telling the press that he’s divorcing her. And the scandal, though completely fabricated, is bad enough for her party to remove her from office.
The Japanese writer-director Mamoru Hosoda has made some amazing films that take profound leaps into dreamlike worlds.
Hosoda’s “Mirai” (2018) is about a 4-year-old boy who’s resentful of his newborn sister. But in his backyard garden, he meets his sister as a teenager. This is just the first of many domestic time travels, as the boy meets other relatives from other points in their lives. A new understanding begins to dawn.
In “Belle” (2022), a teenager who’s lived through tragedy finds a soaring catharsis in a virtual realm. I thought it was one of the best films of that year, and I still think it might be the best movie ever made about the internet. Either way, its song-and-soul-shattering climax is unforgettable.
Yet in Hosoda’s latest, “Scarlet,” the director’s enviable reach exceeds his grasp. In it, his female protagonist is a medieval princess who, after seeing her king father killed by her uncle, and dying herself, awakes in an expansive purgatory. In this strange afterlife, peopled by the dead from all time periods, she seeks revenge for her father.
Anyone, I think, would grant that a Japanese anime that transplants “Hamlet” to a surreal netherworld is a touch more ambitious than your average animated movie. Unlike the wide majority of cartoons, or even live-action movies, the problem with “Scarlet” isn’t a lack of imagination. It’s too much.
Hosoda, a former Studio Ghibli animator whose other films include “Wolf Children” and “Summer Wars,” has an extraordinary knack for crafting anime worlds of visual complexity while pursuing existential ideas with a childlike sincerity. But an excess of baroque design, of emotion, of scope, sinks Hosoda’s “Scarlet.” It’s the kind of misfire you can forgive. If you’re going to fail by overreach, it might as well be with a wildly ambitious rendering of “Hamlet.”
In the thrilling prologue, set in 16th century Denmark, Scarlet (Ashida Mana) watches as her uncle Claudius (Kôji Yakusho) frames her father as a traitor and has him executed. Enraged, Scarlet — without any visitation from her father’s ghost — goes to kill Claudius. Only he poisons her first, and Scarlet awakes in what she learns is called the Otherlands.
It’s a kind of infinite wasteland, full of wandering souls and marauding bandits. People are there for a time, and then they pass into nothingness. A stairway to heaven is rumored to exist somewhere. As she seeks Claudius, Scarlet is joined by a stranger she encounters named Hijiri (Okada Masaki). A paramedic from modern day, he spends most of his time in the Otherworld trying to heal the wounds of others, including Scarlet’s foes.
“Scarlet” can be meandering and tedious. Even Rosencrantz and Guildenstern turn up. If the Otherworld is laid out like Scarlet’s troubled conscience, the ensuing battle between vengeance and forgiveness feels dully simplified. It’s all a sea of troubles. Hosoda tries to build some interiority to the story (not a small aspect of “Hamlet”) through Hijiri’s backstory, telescoping Shakespeare’s quandaries to contemporary times.
Hosoda grafted “Beauty and the Beast” into “Belle,” to sometimes awkward, sometimes illuminating effect. But in “Scarlet,” he struggles to bridge “Hamlet” to today. It’s a big swing, the kind filmmakers as talented as Hosoda should be taking, but it doesn’t pay off. Still, it’s often dazzling to look at it and it’s never not impassioned. Hosoda remains a director capable of reaching trembling, operatic heights. In “Scarlet,” for instance, Claudius gets a spectacular death scene, a remarkable accomplishment considering he’s already dead.
“Scarlet,” a Sony Pictures Classics release, opens in limited release Friday and in wider theatrical release Feb. 6. Rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for violence/bloody image. Playing in both Japanese with subtitles and English dubbed versions. Running time: 112 minutes. Two stars out of four.
Movie Reviews
‘No Other Choice’ Review: Park Chan-wook’s Timely, Dark, Hilarious Comedic Satire That Slays with Style
Most people who have seen a few director Park movies will agree that he has one of the most creative and crazy minds out there. I’m happy to join the choir. This marks the 55-year-old filmmaker’s inaugural foray into the Black comedy subgenre, although we are cognizant of his cheekiness.
Director Park’s examination of the economic class structures in South Korea, as evidenced by Man-soo’s dismissal, is as bleak as it is in any other urbanized capitalist nation. It is, after all, based on an American novel, but it exploits this premise to build a powerful Black comedy. With No Other Choice‘s straightforward plot, he deconstructs the conventions of masculinity under a capitalistic umbrella through a kooky but always funny atmosphere. One equally funny and depressing recurring gag is post-firing affirmations that many of the unemployed former breadwinners use as an excuse to continue their self-pity wallowing. Man-soo’s dubious scheme reflects himself in his fellow compatriots, who share the same ill fate. They all neglect their loving families, becoming real-time losers to the significant impact of the capitalist culture on the common man. As the plot develops, Park explores the twisted but captivating development of this man regaining his sense of self and spine… You know, through murder.
As this social satire unfolds in dark, humorous ways, No Other Choice is a rare example of style and substance working together. Director Park throws every stylistic option he can at the wall, and almost everything sticks. Mainly because his imaginative lens – crossfades, dissolves, and memorable feats – is both visually captivating and enriching to Man-soo’s mission. The film encroaches on noir-thriller sensibilities, especially with its modern setting. Man-soo’s choices become more engrossing and inventive, proving timely even in its most familiar beats while personalizing every supporting character.
Director Park and his reunion with director of photography Kim Woo-hyung from The Little Drummer Girl execute a distinctive vision that flawlessly captures the screwball comedy archetype with its own rhythmic precision and stunning visuals, particularly in contrast to the picturesque autumnal backdrop. Compared to Decision to Leave, it’s more maximalist, but it still makes you think, “Wow, this is how movies should look.” Nevertheless, the meticulous framework and blocking in the numerous chaotic sequences impart a unique dark-comedic tone that evokes a classic comedy from the height of silent era cinema, albeit in stunning Technicolor.
In an exceptional leading performance, Lee Byung-hun channels his inner Chaplin.
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