‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ turns out to be a rather listless caper, despite a premise that should be irresistible: a reunited crew of magicians pulling off an audacious diamond heist on a South African billionaire criminal, played by Rosamund Pike. On paper, it makes sense – illusionists turning their skills to crime, misdirection at the heart of the plot, and a jewel stolen in plain sight while the world looks the wrong way.

There’s also a new generation of tricksters joining the established team – Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg among them – and occasionally the film leans into the fun of watching illusions unfold: mirrors swallowing people whole, vanishing acts that seem to defy logic, and escape-room-style set pieces inside a sprawling mansion.

But the trouble is that none of it ever really convinces. Everything feels preposterous in a low-rent way: one moment a character appears to fall to their death, the next the walls literally fall away to reveal a stage and a cheering audience. The script keeps insisting that magicians like these are what keep the world ticking – even winning wars – but the film never earns those claims.

And here’s the problem with cinematic magic: on stage, misdirection dazzles because we can’t rewind the moment. On film, with editing and CGI doing half the work, we never feel genuinely tricked. The movie also pulls the ‘Colombo’-style rug-pull, replaying earlier scenes to “reveal” how the tricks worked – except these versions of events often show information we were never given in the first place. So it’s not that we missed the clues; the film simply didn’t show them.

Rosamund Pike, delivering a rather wobbly South African accent, plays the villain, while Morgan Freeman – approaching 90 – lends the whole affair a grandfatherly authority. But even with this cast, it’s hard to shake the feeling that no one’s heart is fully in it.

There are a few charms, and a faint whiff of ‘National Treasure’-style treasure-hunting, but in truth the film is feather-light. You’ll enjoy it in the moment – and probably forget it the minute you walk out of the cinema.