Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
A decade after their last public trick, the Four Horsemen are dragged back into the spotlight when a mysterious figure recruits them — and a trio of hungry young magicians — to steal the Heart Diamond from corrupt tycoon Veronika Vanderberg and expose the crimes hidden inside her empire.
DIRECTOR
Ruben Fleischer (Venom)
ACTORS
Jesse Eisenberg • Woody Harrelson • Isla Fisher • Dave Franco • Rosamund Pike
1h 53m • Rated M • Action, Heist, Thriller • USA
The island setting, the modest production, and the humor that often arises from character rather than contrivance work together to keep the film from ever feeling flat. On the flip side, a few feel the pacing is uneven, or that the secondary characters don’t always land. Still, even these criticisms tend to be soft and in the service of a film that is more heartwarming than perfect.
Overall, the consensus sees The Ballad of Wallis Island as a warm, wistful, and soul-soothing film—modest in scope but rich in feeling. It’s not trying to dazzle, but it digs in where it matters: loss, memory, music, human connection. For many, it’s one of the more emotionally satisfying films of 2025.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is a quietly charming British comedy-drama directed by James Griffiths, written by and starring Tom Basden and Tim Key, alongside Carey Mulligan. The story centers on Charles, a lonely lottery winner living on a remote Welsh island, who invites his favorite folk duo—Herb McGwyer and Nell Mortimer—to reunite for a private performance. His motive isn’t just fandom; there are unresolved heartbreaks, nostalgia, and grief behind his idealistic gesture.
Critics are largely enamored with the film’s balance of humor and melancholy. Tim Key’s performance as Charles is praised for being endearingly awkward, verbose, and heart-on-sleeve, often using verbal wit to stave off silence. Basden as Herb, and Mulligan as Nell, deliver subtle, emotionally resonant performances, especially when the old romantic and artistic tensions surface—and you begin to feel what’s been lost, as well as what hope might remain. The original music is another highlight; the songs feel lived in, and the film uses them not as spectacle, but as emotional anchors.
Some reviewers point out that the premise is familiar—a fan’s devotee, reunited artists, romantic regrets—but argue that the execution elevates it.
CRITICS ROUNDUP
At the same time, many reviewers point out that the plot still carries the franchise’s familiar weaknesses: elaborate twists piled on an already knotty story, with motivations that can feel reverse-engineered from the reveals. Some find the constant reversals exhausting, even as others enjoy the film’s willingness to operate like one big long-form magic trick. Overall, the consensus is mildly positive: this is regarded as the most consistent entry in the series so far, an entertaining caper that delivers confident cast work and cleverly staged illusions, even if it never quite escapes the sense of being a polished variation on what came before.
CRITICS ROUNDUP
A slick, crowd-pleasing caper that freshens the trick without entirely reinventing it.
Reviews frame Now You See Me: Now You Don’t as a lively, slightly overstuffed but generally satisfying third act for the series. Critics note that the film smartly centres its story on the Heart Diamond heist and the uneasy alliance between the original Horsemen and their younger imitators, using the globe-trotting setup — from Antwerp to Abu Dhabi and South Africa — to stage slick, practical set-pieces rather than leaning purely on CGI. Performances from Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Isla Fisher are frequently highlighted for relaxed chemistry, while Rosamund Pike’s coolly menacing Veronika is singled out as a welcome, grounded antagonist.