‘Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery’ Scores an Insane Rotten Tomatoes Rating on Debut
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the latest film in Rian Johnson’s beloved mystery series, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6.
The movie is a standalone sequel to Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) and the third installment in the Knives Out franchise. Daniel Craig returns as master detective Benoit Blanc, joined by a star-studded cast including Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Mila Kunis, Jeremy Renner, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, Cailee Spaeny, Daryl McCormack, and Thomas Haden Church.
The film is set to hit theaters on November 26, and will be released on Netflix on December 12. On Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 23 critic reviews are positive, and Metacritic gives it a score of 82 out of 100, signaling universal acclaim.
Critics generally praised the chemistry between Craig and O’Connor, noting that their performances make the story’s twists and turns feel engaging and believable. The movie also delivers plenty of atmosphere, suspense, and the clever humor that fans expect from the Knives Out series. Many reviews highlighted the strong ending, saying the final scenes land powerfully and tie the story together effectively.
For a story that was supposed to pay homage to Edgar Allan Poe’s stories, the middle portion of this movie lost traction. The darker themes died out in the middle meat of this movie. And yet, somehow it landed super strong in its final few scenes.
Ridge Harripersad
If overlong, it’s still a thoroughly entertaining mystery adorned with plenty of atmosphere and hijinks.
Christopher Llewellyn Reed
O’Connor and Craig have electric, insanely believable chemistry, and with that, the audience can buy into their journey down the rabbit hole with every fun zig and zag along the way.
Ryan McQuade
While perhaps not the strongest of the three Knives Out films, it is still incredibly captivating and might be Johnson’s most personal film in the series yet.
Ricky Church
“Wake Up Dead Man” proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that when it comes to cinematic murder mysteries, nobody does it better.
Dan Bayer
However, some reviewers felt the film lost momentum in the middle portion. While it tries to explore darker, more personal themes for Blanc, the story occasionally struggles with pacing and narrative weight. Even so, the film remains entertaining, blending mystery, suspense, and comedy in a way that keeps audiences engaged.
… leaning instead toward a more meaningful mystery for Blanc. But it also suffers from so much narrative baggage that it fails both as the darker, personal story it wants to be and as the lighter comic escapade these films usually promise.
Trace Sauveur
Despite being perhaps the least tightly structured of the three Knives Out films, Wake Up Dead Man is still captivating. Critics agree that Rian Johnson’s direction shows a more personal side of the series, and the movie proves that he remains a master of cinematic murder mysteries.
XII.XII.MMXXV. Thou shalt be seated.
— Netflix (@netflix) June 1, 2025
Save the date for Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the newest Benoit Blanc whodunnit from Rian Johnson. #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/047f8Cyo6N
Overall, the movie succeeds in combining fun, suspense, and character-driven storytelling, even if some narrative choices fall flat. It is a must-watch for fans of the series and anyone who enjoys clever, stylish mysteries.
The film might not be perfect, but it delivers exactly what Knives Out fans want—mystery, twists, and unforgettable characters. The chemistry between Craig and O’Connor alone makes the journey worth watching.
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