Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Oh dear, how do I even approach this movie? Strap in, because this rant will also be a roller coaster, and the score will surprise you! For some history before I talk about the third film in the Knives Out series (yes, I predict he will do another), my watching history with Rian Johnson is a complex one, always going up and down. I loved Looper, and then I watched the YMS video on YouTube, and then I hated that "time travel" movie. I watched Knives Out and loved it, but then realized that it's not really a good mystery film. Do I need to bring up The Last Jedi and how it ruined Star Wars as an IP? Anyways, Knives Out has been, in and of itself, a roller coaster of an IP. I actually still like the first Knives Out movie a lot despite its flaws, and I should watch this trilogy again sometime. Except... Knives Out: Glass Onion is one of the worst films I have ever seen. Let’s get into this film and see what I think.

Well, once again, I predicted everything in this "mystery movie." Yes, I did, and I couldn't prove it to anyone who would say otherwise. Rian Johnson seems to not really know how to craft an interesting narrative, and as with all his films, the second there's a "twist," I have unraveled it. It's funny to see how he thinks he's clever by lying to the audience, but just like a glass onion, I see through his writing. It's all there for me to guess every twist and turn at the 25-minute mark, and yet he occludes details and makes me question my own madness. It turns out, I was right every step of the way. (I will explain in the spoiler review, wait a month or two!)

But I don't want any of you to think that I hate this film like the sequel to the first movie. Oh no, in this film I think the acting is spectacular, I think the cinematography is stellar! The pacing is precise and purposeful, the visuals vivid and vexing, and the ending earnest and effective! It's the writing that is weak, wretched, and woeful!

Alas, I come to the conclusion that I cannot judge this film fairly, either due to my bias against Rian Johnson or this being my first time watching it. I can only give my opinion that this would be flawless in a better writer’s hands. The writing brings this from a 10/10 to a 5/10.

It's quite unfortunate to leave things like this, but I really need to rewatch it. It could easily go up or down, but if the first Knives Out mystery could survive its flaws, I can sheathe my claws for this one, and there's hope for it yet. I bid you all adieu, for next when we meet with this series, I will give proof that when style outpaces substance, spectacle supplants sense!!!