What a cumbersome title. Presumably they were worried that people might think this film was (horror of horrors!) a standalone film, not part of a franchise! And thus avoid it like the plague. But as the name reveals, it marks the return of Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc, where James Bond tries out his incredibly over-the-top faux southern (New Orleans? that's the only way to make sense of the French name) accent and comedic stylings. And very entertaining they are, too. One gets the sense that he is a lot more comfortable with this (certainly he's evidently having more fun) than playing the secret agent. Having noted it's a franchise, and that, like the first one, it is an Agatha Christiesque murder mystery, it must be said that this one veers a good deal more comedic and less thriller-ish than the first. It also has a good deal of fun with very quick cameos, from Hugh Grant as Blanc's either manservant or lover, to Steven Sondheim (to whom, along with Angela Lansbury, the film is dedicated) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar showing up on a Zoom call near the beginning of the film, when a very bored locked-down Blanc is seen confining himself to his bath and trying out the game Among Us (which he regards as "stupid" because he's very bad at it). (The very best cameo is probably Serena Williams, though - so watch out for that.) That game, which was all the rage for a brief window about a year ago(?) and the pandemic setting instantly locks this film in a moment in time. It's interesting that the vast majority of entertainment has decided to act as if Covid never happened, probably for this reason. This film also has its cake and eats it too, because it very quickly dispenses with all visible reminders of the film with the device of (a) an isolated island setting, and (b) a magic spray administered by some lackey of the Tech Bro main character (Ed Norton's suitably obnoxious Myles Bron) that supposedly protects all from the danger of catching Covid. As with all Christie-type films, you can't really say too much without giving it away, but it's got a solid cast of eccentrics, from Dave Bautista's mother's-boy wannabe Men's Rights social media star, through Kate Hudson's ditsy ex-model fashion designer, through a rather underused Kathryn Hahn as an up-and-coming is-she-more-Elizabeth-Warren-or-Kyrsten-Synema politician, and Leslie Odom Jr. as the real brains behind most of Myles' money-making ideas. In the original Knives Out Blanc latched on to the young Hispanic maid played by Ana de Armas as his assistant, and continuing the theme of Doctor Who-esque companion, this time he is teamed up with Janelle Monae's mysterious character, and she is really the star of the picture (and just saying that gives away a minor twist in the middle of the film). Anyway, lots of pointed (thinly veiled) jabs at people like Elon Musk or right wing YouTubers, and several laugh-out-loud moments - very satisfying. I think if they keep making these, Daniel Craig will be more remembered as Blanc than as Bond, and that will be entirely as it should be. (Sidenote: this was new to Netflix on the 23rd, but it turned out that Thomas watched it, as we did, last night. At last we have persuaded him to watch the same movies we watch - all it took was 1331 miles between us.)
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