Review: A new 'Now You See Me' isn't magical, but its silliness will keep you distracted

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You know millennial nostalgia has reached a dangerous peak when there’s a new “Now You See Me” in theaters.The last time we encountered the merry band of Robin Hood prankster magicians known as the Horsemen, it was the Obama era, when “Now You See Me 2,” the sequel to the hit 2013 film, opened in the summer of 2016.

Were we ever so young?Back then, the Horsemen, played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and either Isla Fisher or Lizzy Caplan as the token girl magician, used the principles of magic for altruistic purposes, redistributing wealth and saving the world from various evil tech overlords.We’re in even worse shape now, so why not do magic about it? It couldn’t hurt and it seems there’s literally nothing else we can do to exert any modicum of control over billionaires who are exacerbating environmental degradation and dangerous technology.With “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” director Ruben Fleischer takes over the franchise reins from Jon M.Chu (now preoccupied with “Wicked”), who himself took over from Louis Leterrier (the screenplay is by Seth Grahame-Smith, Michael Lesslie and Rhett Reese).

Some nine years down the line, fresh blood is needed, so “Now You Don’t” plays like “Now You See Me: The New Class,” introducing a trio of budding magicians who take inspiration from the Horsemen.Lifestyle The Academy of Magical Arts has operated the Hollywood mansion for decades and has helped build it into one of the world’s top venues for magic.A reunion show at a Bushwick warehouse turns out to be — you guessed it — an illusion, with a group of young aspiring magicians, June (Ariana Greenblatt), Charlie (Justice Smith) and Bosco (Dominic Sessa), aping the Horsemen’s faces and using clever presentation in order to rob from the rich (corrupt crypto bros) to give to the poor (their fellow broke Gen-Zers).

They’re happy t...