REVIEW: Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025 Film) - Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan and Morgan Freeman

Review by Jon Donnis

Ruben Fleischer's 2025 heist film, Now You See Me: Now You Don't, reunites the original Four Horsemen while introducing a new trio of young illusionists, Charlie, Bosco, and June. Using holograms and deepfakes, the newcomers impersonate the Horsemen to carry out daring heists before joining forces with the originals to take down Veronika Vanderberg, a South African diamond heiress involved in laundering money for criminals. The story spans Antwerp, a château in France, and the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, blending family secrets, personal revenge, and high-stakes magical trickery.

The film is visually energetic and chaotic. The heists are elaborate and colourful, with Fleischer keeping the pace brisk and the spectacle constant. Combining the original cast with new performers injects energy, particularly in scenes where the older Horsemen mentor or intervene. For casual viewing, it works well as a light, entertaining popcorn film that can fill a festive evening without demanding full attention.

On the other hand, the plot is weak and largely predictable. The story relies heavily on CGI, which reduces the sense of cleverness in the heists and trickery. Dialogue often feels forced or unnatural, and while the younger magicians are central to the action, they struggle to be engaging. The original cast are underused, with their talents largely sidelined, and the narrative is cluttered, likely a result of having too many writers contributing to the screenplay.

There are moments of fun in the interplay between characters, especially when the past failures of the Horsemen are referenced or old rivalries resurface. The attempt to pass the torch to the younger magicians adds a sense of continuity, although it sometimes feels like it is stretching the story rather than enriching it. Key sequences, including the final heist and twist involving Charlie, offer spectacle but do not have the same cleverness or charm that defined the first film.

Now You See Me: Now You Don't is a colourful and occasionally enjoyable adventure, but it lacks the ingenuity, cohesion, and charisma of its predecessors. It provides light entertainment, with some fun set pieces and magical sequences, but the weak plot, predictable story beats, and underdeveloped new characters make it a disappointment for fans of the franchise. I would give it a 6 out of 10.

Out Now on Digital

Apple TV - https://apple.co/3MPbsQg

REVIEW: Roofman (2025 Film) - Starring Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple and Peter Dinklage

Review by Jon Donnis

"Roofman" is one of those stories that almost sounds too bizarre to be true. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, it tells the tale of Jeffrey Manchester, an ex-soldier turned roof-climbing burglar who once hid inside a Toys "R" Us for half a year without anyone noticing. On paper, it sounds like a madcap heist comedy, but what unfolds on screen is far more complex, sitting somewhere between tragedy, absurdity and a strangely touching love story.

Channing Tatum gives one of his most grounded performances to date as Manchester, a man whose crimes seem less driven by greed than by desperation and loneliness. Cianfrance, known for intimate dramas like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, brings that same raw emotional style here. His camera lingers on quiet, mundane details, making even the sight of Tatum brushing his teeth in a toy store feel oddly human. It's funny, yes, but never cartoonish.

The film's strongest stretch comes during the Toys "R" Us sequence. Manchester's life among dolls, bicycles and baby monitors becomes a sort of twisted domestic fantasy, half survival story, half suburban dream. His relationship with Leigh, played by Kirsten Dunst, is handled with tenderness. She brings warmth to what could have been a throwaway role, grounding the film's stranger moments in something recognisably real. When the romance blossoms, it's oddly sweet, even though the audience knows it's built on lies.

There's also excellent support from LaKeith Stanfield as Steve, Manchester's pragmatic old army mate, and Peter Dinklage as the weary store manager Mitch. Dinklage, in particular, adds a dry sense of humour that cuts through the film's more sentimental edges.

The problem is that once Manchester's life outside the store takes over, the story begins to sag. The pace slows, the tone darkens, and the tension that once made the film so compelling slips away. The final act feels heavier, more procedural, and less inspired than the early scenes. Cianfrance's interest in emotional fallout overtakes the playfulness that made the premise so unique.

And despite the film being sold as a crime comedy, the laughs are rare. It's more melancholy than madcap, often reflecting on isolation, regret and the longing to belong. That's not a flaw so much as a mismatch of tone between marketing and reality, but some viewers might be caught off guard.

Still, "Roofman" is an engaging, original take on the true-crime genre. It's stylish, well-acted, and deeply human. Tatum's performance captures both the absurdity and sadness of a man trying to rebuild his life inside a toy shop, while Dunst provides the heart that keeps it from collapsing under its own weirdness.

It loses some magic once the fluorescent lights of the store fade, but as a character study, it lingers. "Roofman" may not be the laugh-out-loud caper its trailers promise, yet it offers something better: a bittersweet glimpse at a man trapped between redemption and self-destruction.

A flawed but fascinating piece of storytelling. I'd give Roofman a solid 7 out of 10.

Out now on Digital

Apple TV - https://apple.co/49j0ITw