For my popular media presentation, my group and I chose to discuss the movie Now You See Me. While I highly recommend the first of the series for its stellar cast and the imaginative cons, the third installment left something to be desired.
The third film, Now You See Me, Now You Don't, follows the original cast as they reunite 10 years later and team up with a group of novice magicians. Together, they try to expose the corrupt dealing of a South African mogul who heads an international crime syndicate. While I found the movie entertaining because I love the cast, the plot was discombobulated, the writing and the acting was cringe-worthy to say the least, and the magic fell flat.
However, relating to our class discussions on the evolution of deception, I found it interesting to see just how the writers adapted the Four Horsemen's Robbin Hood ways to a 2025 climate. It was highly apparent that the movie was trying to appear relevant to Gen Z with mentions of Covid-19, AI, social media, and general younger generation slag. The opening scene begins with the young magicians redistributing the wealth from a group of corrupt "crypto bros." While in the first film we see a similar scene dealing with mortgage fraud, the relevant change in con in this third installment reflects the evolving period in time.
Sadly, that's about where the notable events end. Post first "heist" I can image the writers changed as then the film takes on a plot about exposing descendants of criminals from Nazi Germany, getting revenge for the death of a loved one, and righting a wrongful inheritance. If it sounds confusing and all over the place, that's because it is. However, they've made a fan of me yet and I am anxious to see the continued evolution of the Four Horsemen as the series continues and the younger cast replaces the old.
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