I was very excited this week on Wednesday to scoot off to my local cinema and settle in for the third movie in the Knives Out trilogy – 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'. I wanted to get ahead of the Netflix streaming date next month.
I'm really pleased I went – save for the Everyman pricing (gasp) – to see Daniel Craig reprise his role as private detective Benoit Blanc. Well, I was when he finally turned up on screen – he's not even in the film for the first 45 minutes.
But after the credits rolled, at the 2 hours and 24 minutes mark, I couldn't help but think I'd have been better off waiting for Netflix. After all, Knives Out 3 (as it's colloquially being called) will be on the best streaming service from 12 December – so it's just around the corner.
Director Rian Johnson, who has helmed all the Knives Out movies, is certainly on fine form – but seemingly has further fallen for the "longer is better" approach that's embedded in modern cinema. I find 143 minutes is a little overextended, but easier to take on a streaming service in the comfort of my living room.
Not that Knives Out 3 will ever leave you bored, mind, given its ensemble cast is among the greatest united in one movie – and they're all stellar. There's Josh Brolin, Glenn Close, Jeremy Renner, Andrew Scott, Jeffery Wright, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington, and many more.
While the latest Knives Out caper continues with Johnson's sharp script-writing flair – there are plenty of giggle-out-loud moments throughout, too – I couldn't help but find the third movie's tone just somewhat... different.
Perhaps it's the religious tropes, perhaps it's the setting – upstate New York, USA, but could be anywhere – or perhaps it's that Blanc's more sombre and vulnerable appearance doesn't sit quite right with his usual vibrancy.
That's why I'll be watching again when Wake Up Dead Man comes to Netflix in December, though, to reinvestigate all the feelings the movie stirred in me. Plus, knowing how it concludes, I'll be able to see the various whodunnit clues in that second-pass viewing.
Right now I've also got one of the best OLED TVs set up at home – complete with Philips' Ambilight – paired with a punchy surround system. Honestly, given that some Everyman screens are small and with screens to match, that at-home perception of grandeur might be better – in all its up-close 4K glory.
So, yes, I loved watching Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, but it's not my favourite of the trio of movies. And while Rotten Tomatoes has a lofty 95% positive score from both critics and audience.
However, I suspect the audience rating will drop off come 12 December when more people get eyes on the movie – and also ponder whether it's actually the least enjoyable Knives Out mystery to grace our screens yet. Although, with such a high bar set, that's no bad thing.
