Now You See Me, Now You Don't Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Now You See Me, Now You Don't Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 18, 2026

Rick and Morty: Season 4 featured a typically manic episode called One Crew Over the Crewcoo's Morty which kind of hilariously deconstructed heist or caper films, this despite the fact that Dan Harmon was on record as having had misgivings about centering an entire episode on a film genre he personally hates. One can only imagine how Harmon might have reacted to Now You See Me, Now You Don't, the third installment in a series that arguably might have been better off a single standalone entry, since each subsequent offering might be prime examples of the law of diminishing returns. The perhaps ironically comedic thing about this situation is it seems evident that this newest edition is designed at least in part to "pass the torch to a new generation" of illusionists, and in fact a fourth film has already been announced, for better or worse.

While this is in essence perfectly able to stand on its own without any real tether to the two previous films, for those wanting at least a bit context, below are links to reviews of the first two outings:

Now You See Me Blu-ray review

Now You See Me 2 Blu-ray review

All three of the Now You See Me films are built on veritable nesting dolls of twists and supposed "realities" suddenly transforming into something else entirely based on the blandishments of supposed magic. That is very much in evidence from the get go in this third film, with an opening that seems to suggest the Four Horsemen have reunited for a very special event. J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), the last of whom some may not even remember, are on hand hosting an "invitation only" party that of course turns out to be a "sting" of a hustler. Except — it's actually not the Four Horsemen in attendance, but digital versions thereof, constructions of a new if not exactly improved trio of artisans, Charlie (Justice Smith), June (Ariana Greenblatt) and Bosco (Dominic Sessa), a youthful trifecta who have decided to pick up where the Four Horsemen left off some ten years ago.

Suffice it to say that the real Atlas soon turns up and recruits the trio to help him bring down a nefarious jewel merchant named Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike), whose illicit sales are being used for major money laundering purposes. Atlas initially says the other original Horsemen are dead, at least to him, but of course it goes without saying that the original quartet are reunited themselves courtesy of that mysterious entity known as The Eye. It probably also goes without saying that nothing here is exactly the way it's initially presented, and at least one major reveal partway through the story may in fact provide an element of surprise, as predictable as so much else of this enterprise may admittedly be.

There's a geniality to Now You See Me, Now You Don't that probably helps the film elide some pretty clunky writing. The "magical" set pieces are ludicrous to the point of eye rolling at times, and the central "McGuffin" of a diamond heist is probably going to strike fans of this franchise as some obvious misdirection (to purloin a term from magic). In some supplements included with this release, several of the actors mention that getting to work with this particular cohort again was the chief reason for signing on, and there is a palpable camaraderie between the returning actors. There's even some enjoyable repartee between the newcomers as well, but the entire film is weirdly listless despite an often brisk pace. Still, it's kind of bizarrely amusing to see someone like Rosamund Pike do her version of chewing the scenery as an arch villain(ness), and there are tips of the (rabbit filled?) hat to the first two films, including a late appearance by Mark Ruffalo as Dylan Rhodes. Morgan Freeman also adds a dash of stylish gravitas in a glorified cameo related to that aforementioned ocular organization.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Now You See Me, Now You Don't is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with anAVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb lists the Sony CineAlta Venice and a 4K DI as relevant data points. Fans of this film are probably best advised to opt for Lionsgate's 4K UHD release (which includes a 1080 disc), as both detail levels and palette get some nice improvements in that version. That said, this is a really beautifully sharp and well detailed looking presentation throughout, with some generally well woven practical and CGI effects woven into the mix at various points. Fine detail is convincing on all of the sets and costumes, and textures on things like Morgan Freeman's topcoat or some the gowns Rosamund Pike wears is nicely precise looking. Speaking of Freeman's topcoat, perhaps rather interestingly what might be called traditional visual "pop" can tend to be intermittent here, with the crimson tones of that costuming being a notable example. A lot of the early material with Pike in particular tends to exploit neutral tones in the white to beige to tan arenas, though interestingly later in the third act backgrounds featuring her character turn a more hellish orange. There do seem to be a couple of quick establishing shots that may have been sourced from stock or some kind of secondary footage, as they don't offer the same level of clarity and detail.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Now You See Me, Now You Don't gets a lot of audio mileage out of the Dolby Atmos track included on both the 4K and 1080 discs in this package. The opening quasi-arena scene is just the first of several great examples where both height and breadth are noticeable in the clamor of a large group. Some of the later set pieces, including the first vignette involving the (apparent) heist of the diamond also feature really generous use of the side and rear channels to immerse the listener both with regard to directional speaking but discrete channelization of ambient environmental effects. A really fun car race very late in the film also provides some enjoyable panning effects and nice rumbling LFE. Both occasional source cues and underscoring also help to populate the side and rear channels. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional subtitles in several languages are available.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Ruben Fleischer and Producer Bobby Cohen


• Lord of Illusions (HD; 8:31) profiles director Ruben Fleischer.


• Now You See Me. . .Again (HD; 9:16) features the gang talking about reuniting.


• Heart of Stone (HD; 6:41) looks at the connection between the focal diamond and character played by Pike.


• Quick Change (HD; 6:32) focuses on costuming.


• Nothing Up My Sleeve (HD; 8:31) deals with magic, both the on screen and production kind.


• The Magic Castle (HD; 4:38) takes a look at one of the impressive feats of production design in the film.


• Deleted and Extended Scenes (HD; 13:35)


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:32)

Note: Lionsgate sent their 4K UHD release (which includes a 1080 disc) for purposes of this 1080 review, but it looks like this standalone 1080 release includes a digital copy.

Now You See Me, Now You Don't Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The problem with a franchise like the Now You See Me films is they come with a preconceived template where the viewer knows going in nothing (or at least a lot) is not as it seems, and some characters may not even be whom they seem. That means that some of the ostensible twists here may be telegraphed somewhat broadly, but there's one potential nice surprise late in the film that may catch even inveterate twist guessers off guard. Technical merits are first rate, and maybe a little unexpectedly Lionsgate has assembled a larger than average supply of bonus items for this release, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.