Fans of classic murder mysteries aren't exactly getting spoiled these days. The first knives out wasn't a true masterpiece either but it was a refreshingly honest attempt and it was at least fun to watch.

So I was actually looking forward to see the second film even though the release on Netflix made me suspicious from the beginning. But what's the worst that can happen right? At least we get to see Edward Norton again after what feels like half a century. What should I say... they Netflixed it beyond expectations. To cater to the streaming service consumer base that apparently can't be expected to have the attention span of more than a goldfish there is not a single cheap cliché, flat joke or any kitsch they skipped. The villain is dumbed down to a caricature, I assume to make even the slowest mouth breather feel included and superior. The first half is a stretching eye rolling marathon and while the second half actually occasionally catches up some speed and shows a few at least somewhat interesting ideas of a story, it completely fails to find an organic finale. Missed opportunity after missed opportunity to put a halfway respectable ending to this mess pass by while the dying plot is artificially kept alive long enough for the inevitable final special effects dumpster fire.

Disappointing.