Is Trick Master 3 good? See the REVIEW of the new film

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Lionsgate/Disclosure

Thinking that a quartet of sneaky magicians can overthrow a corrupt empire is already asking too much of the public’s suspension of disbelief, however, Master’s Trick – The 3rd Act doubles the bet and puts the illusionists in a secular war against Nazis and criminals of the worst kind. At the same time that it tries to recover the essence that made the franchise so passionate, the new film also seeks new faces for its plot — an indication that there are concerns about the future.

While the first film featured the character of Mark Ruffalo — Dylan Rhodes — like a knight in disguise, the second introduced Lula (Lizzy Caplan) as a replacement for Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher). The third is the feature film, by Ruben Fleischertries to refresh this pre-established atmosphere with a young nucleus, which flirts with the main characteristics of generation Z, and with that Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa e Ariana Greenblat join the cast as true “sorcerer’s apprentices”.

Right from the start we see that both generations are about to build strong relationships. While the Horsemen have been inactive since their last big trick, the trio of troublemakers use their famous faces to scam young millionaires. This wave of appearances takes Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) straight to them and, together, the now quartet comes up with a fantastic plan to take down a millionaire heiress who perpetuates money laundering for the worst crimes of humanity.

The plan consists of stealing a diamond — the largest ever found — to expose the corruption related to the criminal scheme that has lasted for decades under the command of the villain Veronika, from Rosamund Pike. However, the decision has consequences that lead to the reappearance of all the original Knights and also to an escape with a Formula 1 look. And even though this meeting seems to be a generational clash, this is only for the script, since in terms of acting, everyone proves to be the right choice for their respective roles.

This equity of talent is taken advantage of by the film, which begins what appears to be the passing of the baton to the future generation of magicians; a concept that goes far beyond the marketing around keeping the franchise alive, being used to justify several choices in the script. While the older generation relies on classic illusionism and magic tricks, younger people use cutting-edge technologies for their shows in a dynamic that runs throughout the history of magic.

But even with all these good intentions, the script has problems that it doesn’t seem to want to deal with, such as its ambitious plot about the historical fight between magicians and Nazis, and the very concept of taking down criminal organizations with some magic tricks. And unfortunately for the project, the direction doesn’t help much in this regard and, this time, looking too much at the illusionist can end up revealing the secrets behind the magic — which is most often made of CGI.

By betting heavily on the audience’s dedication to its plot, the film creates narratives that only the most detached can embrace, putting the viewer’s experience at risk. Trying to escape from reality in your own universe, Master’s Trick — The 3rd Act takes a bigger step than he could and fails to develop issues that he himself proposed, establishing a new rule for a possible future. Still, the film fulfills its role of entertaining those who allow themselves to be deceived, after all, that’s how magic works.