Critics’ reviews

Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025)

18 reviews from 18 publications. Critics’ score 58: 5 positive, 7 mixed, 3 negative.

Back to our review of Now You See Me: Now You Don't

58
Positive
5
Mixed
7
Negative
3

The consensus on Now You See Me: Now You Don’t is mixed, and the spread is wide. Most critics find it fun in the moment and forgotten soon after. The praise clusters on the cast: the returning Horsemen’s ease with one another, the new younger magicians, and above all Rosamund Pike’s villain, whom several reviews single out as the best thing in it. The heist set pieces and quick pacing get credit too. Reservations gather around the script, which is called exposition-heavy and overcrowded with characters, subplots and cameos, and around illusions that lean on CGI and flashback explanations rather than sleight of hand. The dissent is sharp at the bottom: Empire calls it the weakest entry in the series, The Telegraph finds the tricks flat and the cast smug, and The Times awards its two stars to Pike alone. At the top, The New York Times thinks it may be the best of the three.

Variety
11 November 2025 · Owen Gleiberman
80*

The expanded team of illusionists sustains the series' playful trickery in a worthy third sleight-of-hand thriller that fools the audience while revealing its tricks in a way that only makes them seem trickier. Eisenberg's domineering performance as the megalomaniac leader anchors the generational razzing and good-fun caper.

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The AV Club
11 November 2025 · B · Caroline Siede
77

The cast's genuine enthusiasm and chemistry make the knowingly ridiculous third entry fun despite its flaws. It doubles down on the magician angle with clever heist sequences and franchise continuity, feeling like a lighter National Treasure with magic.

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The New York Times
13 November 2025 · Alissa Wilkinson
75*

The third entry gets the band back together, introduces new Gen Z magicians, and updates the villains to crypto bros while delivering globe-trotting fun, quips, and illusions. It is the best in the series or at least a very pleasantly diverting two-ish hours that everyone in the cast seems to enjoy making.

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RogerEbert.com
14 November 2025 · Matt Zoller Seitz
70*

The film understands that its real trick is staying ahead of the audience with plot twists rather than visual effects, and it succeeds with humor and a light touch thanks to a strong cast. It reintroduces the Horsemen for a diamond heist while adding younger magicians, though the story evaporates from memory quickly like its predecessors.

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Los Angeles Times
14 November 2025 · Katie Walsh
65*

The silly, frothy, and ultimately quite stupid (in the best way) globe-trotting adventure is not really about magic but keeps viewers distracted with its fleet pacing and charming new additions. Fleischer knows the winking, campy element and delivers lightweight, harmless entertainment that lets audiences escape reality for a minute.

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Radio Times
11 November 2025 · ★★★ · Kevin Harley
60

The critic describes the film as a busily disposable but fitfully fun reunion of legacy and new characters, praising the witty set pieces and charismatic cast while complaining about the self-satisfied, exposition-heavy script that muffles the magic.

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The Guardian
11 November 2025
60*

The critic describes the film as glitzy, fun fakery that fades quickly unless you are a hardcore fan, with familiar but forgettable tricks and a light musicality to its showmanship.

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The Hollywood Reporter
11 November 2025 · Frank Scheck
60*

The threequel is undeniably entertaining but exhausting due to its plethora of characters, subplots, and cameos. It offers plenty of tricks and quips with visual flair, and Rosamund Pike steals the film as a hammy villain.

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Time Out
12 November 2025 · ★★★ · Helen O’Hara
60

The critic finds the third instalment a fun but forgettable flurry of heists, tricks and banter from an overqualified cast, with timely Robin Hood themes and surprising twists that make it enjoyable in the moment despite some lacking quips and sleight of hand.

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Screen Daily
11 November 2025
50*

The critic notes that the film keeps the action coming at a steady clip with likeable stars and breezy energy but fails to overcome the franchise’s derivative limitations, as the relentless razzle-dazzle eventually feels laboured.

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Vulture
13 November 2025 · Bilge Ebiri
40*

The film continues the franchise's anti-magic approach, where explanations rely on contrivance rather than skill, making it a bad heist movie too. Fleischer adds some visual punch and Eisenberg settles into his role, but it remains silly and unconvincing overall.

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Empire
11 November 2025 · John Nugent
30*

The critic finds the third film a steep drop in quality from the earlier entries, with illusions that strain credibility through heavy CGI and a script full of leaden dialogue and unfunny jokes. Some elaborate set pieces in a magic mansion provide minor fun, but overall it feels like the weakest, most excessive entry in the series.

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The Telegraph
14 November 2025
20*

The critic calls the returning cast smuggest twerps and finds the illusionists’ tricks about as magical as a baked potato, with visual effects and montages that fall flat.

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The Times
11 November 2025 · ★★☆☆☆ · Kevin Maher

The critic says Rosamund Pike is heroically good and saves the interminable film by stealing every scene as the villain, but awards the two stars for her alone.

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Collider
11 November 2025 · Jeff Ewing
70*

The critic finds it a fun outing that breathes fresh life into the franchise with great new cast members and a strong villain, but criticizes the rushed pacing that makes tricks and reveals feel too easy and underdeveloped.

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Polygon
11 November 2025 · Chris Hayner
50*

The film is fine but fails as a true sequel by shifting focus to new characters, making it feel like a reboot; it lacks the magic and Horsemen chemistry of previous entries, though new cast is strong and some tricks work.

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Deadline
11 November 2025 · Glenn Garner

The critic notes that the film attempts to teach old magicians new tricks with a new Gen Z cast bringing more heart and timely references, but feels like it retreads old territory with repetitive plot points and an overcrowded cast. It includes exciting action sequences and fun magic tricks while questioning if the new ensemble revives the franchise's potential.

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The Wrap
11 November 2025

The review describes the film as a slick, amusing but forgettable heist that wastes time entertainingly with goofy and shallow delights, banter, and ridiculous illusions explained in flashbacks. It suggests the movie is an excuse for affable cast members to bounce off each other rather than deliver meaningful storytelling.

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Ordered by the weight we give each publication, then by score. Scores are normalised to 100; * means inferred from an unrated review. Summaries are ours, not quotations; follow the links for the reviews themselves. How we rate