Nine years after the last one, the Four Horsemen are back. With the November 14, 2025 release of Now You See Me: Now You Don't, the slick magic-heist series that kicked off in 2013 finally rounds out into a full trilogy. These movies live or die on misdirection, swagger, and a killer ensemble, and they've always had that: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Morgan Freeman, and Michael Caine launched it; Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe shook things up in the second; and the third brings in a younger crew to keep the tricks fresh. So which one actually pulls off the best illusion? I ranked all three, weighing the plots, the performances, and the final rug-pulls.
Ranking the trilogy (worst to best)
-
Now You See Me 2 (2016)
The longest entry in the series also lands the softest. Under director Jon M. Chu, the sequel keeps trying to outdo the original by going bigger, louder, and splashier, but it loses the tight, zippy charm that made the first movie so fun. The plot leans hard on Dylan Rhodes's backstory and the mystery of his father's death, and a lot of it plays like padding instead of emotional payoff.
To be fair, Chu gives the movie a glossy rhythm. The stop-the-rain trick is a legit crowd-pleaser, and the extended card-passing/throwing sequence is clever even if it lingers a beat too long. The cast shake-ups mostly help: Lizzy Caplan steps in for Isla Fisher and brings a goofy, unpredictable spark that the movie badly needs. Daniel Radcliffe goes full villain, which is a fun idea on paper, but his character never feels dangerous enough to really stick. And Woody Harrelson acting opposite himself as Merritt's twin? Novel, sure, but more distracting than delightful.
Where it lands: 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. Runtime: 2h 9m. Director: Jon M. Chu. Streaming: Peacock. Even with its issues, fans still get chemistry, spectacle, and a few standout tricks. As a whole, though, it can't conjure the mystery, surprise, or personality the franchise is built on.
-
Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025)
Spoilers for Now You See Me: Now You Don't.
The new one does the thing sequels always promise: it tries to recapture the original spark. It doesn't hit that high, but it's a solid bounce-back from the second movie. Ruben Fleischer leans into bigger action language (faster chases, louder set pieces, grander staging), which keeps the energy up, even if the banter isn't quite as sharp and the tone tilts more serious than before.
The standout here is a sprawling mansion sequence where the crew uses stealthy, side-of-hand illusions to slip past eyes that are everywhere. It's playful and nimble in exactly the way this franchise should be. The cast is a pleasing mix of old faces and a younger team: Justice Smith, Ariana Greenblatt, and Dominic Sessa slide into this world like they've been here the whole time. On the flip side, Dave Franco and Woody Harrelson are present but get fewer hero moments than they used to. Isla Fisher, who sat out the second film and was replaced by Caplan there, moves back into the spotlight, which longtime fans will appreciate.
About that twist Jesse Eisenberg teased to EW: it's not the earth-shatterer the hype suggested, but it's tidy, on-brand, and satisfying. Where it lands: 58% on Rotten Tomatoes (the best score of the trilogy so far). Runtime: 1h 52m. Director: Ruben Fleischer. In theaters now. Imperfect? Yep. But sturdy, sleek, and entertaining enough to feel like the right kind of course correction.
-
Now You See Me (2013)
The original still wears the crown. Louis Leterrier sets up the Four Horsemen with clean momentum: a snappy montage of how they're recruited, how their skills fit together, and how their stagecraft doubles as high-end theft. The movie fuses mystery, comedy, crime, and close-up magic in a way the sequels chase but never quite match.
The cast chemistry does a lot of the heavy lifting. Eisenberg and Harrelson bicker like pros, Isla Fisher brings confident flair, and Dave Franco adds a nimble, wry edge. Mark Ruffalo grounds the whole thing as the relentless FBI agent on their tail, while Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine give the story extra gravitas. Because the world is new here, the tricks hit harder: the Paris bank job, the escapes, and an especially crafty identity swap all land with that first-time jolt.
Leterrier also stages real-deal action to go with the illusions, including brisk chases and a bit of hand-to-hand that makes the whole enterprise feel bigger than a stage show. Where it lands: 51% on Rotten Tomatoes. Runtime: 1h 55m. Director: Louis Leterrier. Streaming: Peacock. It was a big enough hit to spawn two sequels, and it still feels the most alive of the three.
That's my order. Your turn: which Now You See Me entry is your favorite, and which trick still makes you grin?