Watching Now You See Me 3 in 2025 feels like opening a time capsule nobody asked for—and still grinning like an idiot when the cast spills out of it. It’s not the comeback the world was waiting for, but a gentle tap on the shoulder reminding you why this chaotic little franchise once became a cult favorite.
One star
Two stars
Three stars
Fours stars
Five stars
Disclaimer: Apropos Magazine received access or a review copy. As always, we share our own impressions — unfiltered.
Six stars
Nine years after the last Now You See Me film, we’re suddenly back in the theatre with Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, and a handful of new recruits. The timing is peculiar. Most franchises operate like clockwork—three years between sequels, maybe four. But nine? That’s long enough for everyone in the cast to go through entire career arcs, scandals, comebacks, and a few existential crises.
And yet, that’s part of the charm.
Seeing them all together again feels less like a sequel and more like a reunion dinner that somehow turned into a heist.
The film even leans into it. The Horsemen haven’t done anything for a decade. They’ve been off the radar since their last escapade—yes, the one with Daniel Radcliffe playing the villain for fun. Now they’re brought back together for another illusion-driven adventure, and it all feels meta in a surprisingly warm way. You’re not watching a new installment, you’re watching a cinematic “what have these people been up to?” special.
And that’s why you forgive its nonsense so quickly.
Because let’s be brutally honest: the Now You See Me films have never made sense. Not once. Not even by accident.
Three doesn’t break the pattern.
It embraces it.
This franchise doesn’t care if the plot holds up. You’re not meant to look behind the curtain. The entire series is built like a magic trick—keep your eyes on the shiny movements, ignore everything else. If you start asking “how?”, you’ve already lost.
Where the film genuinely surprises is in the new characters. Normally, when a legacy franchise adds fresh blood, it feels like a bad studio note (“Make it younger! Make it Gen Z!”). But here, the newcomers bring a kind of youthful cleverness without trying to replace anyone. They complement the old crew, adding a bit of swagger, speed, and reckless confidence. You can imagine a version of this film where they carried the whole plot themselves.
But the old guard deserves praise too. It’s clear they’re happy to be back. There’s a relaxed, self-aware spark in their performances, the kind that comes from actors who know exactly what kind of movie they’re in.
Jesse Eisenberg still has that twitchy, arrogant charisma that made Daniel Atlas fun in the first place. He slides back into the role like he never left—half-annoying, half-brilliant, fully watchable.
Woody Harrelson once again gets to be both unhinged and razor-sharp, and while he could probably do this character in his sleep, he doesn’t phone anything in. Dave Franco continues being the “young one,” despite being well past the age where that label makes sense.
And Morgan Freeman?
He’s Morgan Freeman.
He could elevate a shopping list.
Then there’s Rosamund Pike—who enters the franchise with the exact mix of elegance and cool competence you didn’t know the films were missing. She brings gravitas to scenes that would otherwise collapse under their own silliness, and she plays beautifully against the more chaotic energy of the returning cast.
As for the plot… well, calling it secondary would be generous. It’s more like a loose justification for the next magic sequence. You’re not here for story architecture. You’re here for sleight-of-hand, glamorous heists, and twists that make you smirk rather than gasp.
And on that front, Now You See Me 3 does exactly what it should.
It’s fun.
It’s fast.
It’s messy in the way only this series can get away with.
Visually, the film still looks expensive—sleek enough to satisfy, even if it never reaches the stylish swagger of the first film. But it clearly understands what its audience wants: magic tricks, elaborate set-pieces, and characters who always seem one smug step ahead of everyone else.
The twists are… fine. You won’t scream. You won’t choke on your popcorn. But you’ll smile, which is arguably the entire point.
What’s most surprising is the emotional aftertaste. When the credits hit, you realize you actually missed these characters a little. Not in a deep, life-changing way—but in the same way you miss a rowdy friend from high school: fun in small doses, absolutely exhausting if they stayed too long.
And that’s the sweet spot this film lands in.
It’s not reinventing anything.
It’s not pretending to.
It’s simply delivering a good time with a cast who genuinely seems to enjoy themselves.
In a landscape filled with over-serious reboots and franchise fatigue, Now You See Me 3 feels oddly refreshing. Not because it’s groundbreaking, but because it doesn’t pretend to be. It knows exactly what it is: a flashy, nonsensical, charismatic crowd-pleaser.
Sometimes, that’s enough.
Reflection
Now You See Me 3 isn’t a new classic. But it’s a warm, energetic reunion with characters you forgot you kind of loved. It thrives on chemistry, timing, and pure entertainment value. And sometimes, especially nine years later, that’s the greatest trick of all.
