Now You See Me: Now You Don't

So I finally watched Now You See Me 3, and let's just say... the plot pulled a disappearing act on creativity. The story feels recycled just like a magic trick you've seen one too many times at a kid's birthday party. Honestly, it made Now You See Me 2 look like a masterpiece in comparison.

I did enjoy the cast reunion - Isla Fisher back in action was a pleasant surprise but beyond that, everything was just... plain. If you're going to make fans wait nearly a decade, at least give us something worth the wait, not a rerun in a new hat.

The only illusion here is thinking this sequel was worth the wait.

There are just far too many team members now (9 active to the plot and 1 more thrown in at the very end), and still it was missing one notable name from the second movie that would have elevated it more.

This type of heist film is better when we have a small team of 4 doing a mission impossible / hustle / leverage type double movie-length episode.

I know Atlas by name, the other 9 I have no idea what there names were.

Less of the CGI camera tricks. More focus on actual real world tricks and using them to solve crime.

And keep the budget low. We don't need expensive race cars (with an ending that is resolved off screen, when the character just turns up. No explanation given). No home alone optical illusion museum to set things in. It was just stupid.

Seriously too much money was spent on the sets, when a tighter more-focused script was what is needed.

It's watchable and at least they vanished a silk in a TT. They explained how the diamond was switched out. As stupid as that was (same as the car stealing scene). Security around a billion pound diamond was laughable. Even more so when the twist at the end is revealed and you realise how pointless the rest of the movie was.

I have just watched the third film in this series, set roughly 10 years after the last.

The whole movie is around 10 people bickering. It is exhausting to watch and listen to. This movie is definitely for a younger generation than the last as this sort of constant barrage of verbal intercourse reminds me more of college kids bantering than anything else.

So, regardless of that its okay. Nice to see the band back together. Nothing going to set the world alight here just okay.

We do end up with what feels like the 10 horsemen but feel free to disagree.

This film delivers plenty of fun, energetic moments and strong chemistry among the cast, and my 11-year-old-along with many kids age 8-18 in the theater-absolutely loved the absurd, fast-moving magic and humor. Kids don't worry about whether the tricks make sense, and for them it's a blast.

But the writers, director and producers GROSSLY overproduce this flashy sequel to the max. Isla fisher wears a fancy dress in the woods or in action sequences that make your eyes roll. ANY REALISM from filmmakers would help.

For adult, the movie often feels closer to reality-show spectacle-think Masked Singer meets America's Got Talent-than a grounded cinematic story. Your magicians fight WWII Evil. The sets and character design are impressive, but the nonstop implausible stunts and plot holes make it hard to stay invested in the world they're trying to build.

Still, if you overlook the "jump-the-shark" magic moments and just enjoy the popcorn-movie chaos, it's entertaining enough. My daughter gave it an A. I landed on a B mostly thanks to Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg, who bring enough charm and humor to offset the rapid-fire absurdity. (We completed premier with Cinemascore voting.)

Like many sequels since the '80s, it tries to do too much-too many new characters, too much flash, too much caffeine-and in the process loses warmth, character focus, and believability. But it is entertainment, and we're glad we saw it in a theater, where the spectacle feels bigger and more fun than it would on a streaming screen.

My least favorite of the three movies. Felt like I was watching an escape room movie. Kind of boring. Love the actors, but just fell flat for me. Luckily I saw the preview for free. Just wasn't as thrilling and entertaining as the other two movies. I'd suggest waiting til it comes out on a streaming platform. . .