Wake Up Dead Man Has Screened, And People Are Raving About Daniel Craig’s ‘Darker’ Knives Out Movie

A number of titles on the 2025 movie schedule are greatly anticipated by cinephiles, and one of those is definitely Wake Up Dead Man. The film is the third entry in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out franchise, which centers on mystery-centric exploits of southern sleuth Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig). Early glimpses at the film have suggested that this installment has a different tone compared to its predecessors. Now that the movie has been screened, that tonal change has been confirmed, and audiences seem to love it thus far.

The first teaser for Wake Up Dead Man was released a few months ago and conveyed a gothic aesthetic, and that differed from the motifs of Knives Out and Glass Onion. After the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this weekend, many pundits made note of the change when sharing their reactions. Collider’s Perri Nemiroff shared effusive praise for the mystery flick, calling it "refreshingly different” and heaping praise on the cast:

Another aspect of Rian Johnson’s threequel that’s been emphasized as of late is religion, which seems to play into the story heavily. Journalist Mike Ryan mentioned that element while sharing positive thoughts on the movie himself. And, while Johnson has been known to deliver some major twists in his whodunit franchise, it seems the altered tone is what caught really Ryan by surprise (in a good way):

Specific plot details on the third Knives Out movie are scarce but, based on what’s been shown thus far, Rian Johnson takes viewers to church (figuratively and literally) for a murder case that truly tests Benoit Blanc. The skilled detective seems to be in a different frame of mind this time around, at least that’s what his wild new haircut seems to suggest. Daniel Craig leads yet another star-studded ensemble, which includes Josh O’Connor, Jeremy Renner, Mila Kunis, Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Daryl McCormack, Cailee Spaeny and Thomas Haden Church.

The ensembles have been among the greatest strengths of these Blanc movies, and it seems the third flick in the series excels in that regard as well. It’s also not uncommon for there to be a standout or two. When sharing his own reaction, pundit Scott Menzel not only praised the movie, but he singled out Josh O’Connor’s performance as well:

The first two films in Rian Johnson’s franchise are great, so he had a high bar to clear when it came to this latest one. Nevertheless, journalist Lauren Bradshaw opined that this 2025 Netflix movie release proves this IP still has some kick to it. Like some others, Bradshaw also made note of the change in tone:

Considering all of this praise, ranking these three mystery films may be a difficult feat. If you ask reporter Scott Mantz, though, he’d seemingly tell you that this newest installment is the one to beat:

As a fan of the Knives Out movies myself, I couldn’t be more excited hearing all of the strong sentiments being shared about Wake Up Dead Man. Rian Johnson doesn’t have immediate plans for the future of this franchise, as of right now. Yet, should this be the end of Benoit Blanc, it sounds like this somewhat somber film could make for a solid trilogy capper. Check out the film, which hits select theaters for a limited time on November 26, and it’ll later be available for Netflix subscription holders to stream, starting December 12.