Good, but not great

Rating: 7/10 (23 April 2020)

Harlan Thrombey, an elderly, wealthy, and highly successful mystery-novel author, suddenly appears dead in the bedroom of his mansion one morning after an apparent suicide. The authorities, however, are not convinced, believing that someone murdered him. They enter the wealthy estate to interrogate those who had been on the premises the night of his death: Thrombey's numerous survivors who had been leeching off his financial resources and are all at each other's throats over the inheritance. Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), an accomplished, seasoned, highly-introspective detective, joins in and ultimately takes over the investigation, citing an anonymous hire. The key player in his search is the late Thrombey's personal nurse, Marta Cabrera, a young woman from Paraguay who cannot lie without subsequently vomiting.
This movie is a clever modern-day rendition on the classic murder-mystery genre. It has a compelling plot with many twists and turns. The aesthetics (scenery, music, etc.) are all very "Clue-esque," bringing a sense of Victorianism to an otherwise modern-day setting. The acting is believable. The heavy use of characters' own individualized flashbacks to the night of Thrombey's death is tasteful and effective. The same "scene" is shown multiple times, but from different characters' perspectives and own personal recollections.
However, this movie also had its flaws. Some of the characters were outright annoying or inessential to the bigger picture. Some of the lines seemed as if they could have been taken straight out of a Hallmark movie, others were just in bad taste. I never felt a strong attachment (or strong dislike, for that matter) for any of the characters. In fact, there were too many characters, making it hard to develop emotions for any of them.
All in all, Knives Out was an entertaining yet easily-forgettable film, and the fact of it being a murder mystery makes me question whether or not it would be worth watching again. I would say it is worth watching, but I don think it lives up to all the hype.