kevinyang’s review published on Letterboxd:
The craftsmanship is sublime and you'll have a fun time watching - as is the case with anything Rian Johnson touches - but it doesn't quite have the handle on the characters that the first one did. A bunch of rich grifters whose only personality traits are that they're rich grifters doesn't really get you invested beyond the surface level comedy. And sure, you'll get a hoot out of the bonkers nature of the setting, but the film doesn't actually begin to dig into anything character related until a midpoint turn. The backstory for why they're all there is flimsy, and that's probably why in the grand scheme of things we don't actually spend that much time on the central mystery. I also hope that one of these films manages to dole out a surprise in the culprit department, as it's 0/2 for now with this one's reveal hinging way too much on a pretty generic blink and you'll miss it moment (I did not miss it).
That being said, Craig is always just such a delight and Island Blanc steals the scene every time he's on screen. Monáe is also a standout, which makes sense given she has the meatiest role. For all the story's flaws, Johnson remains an incredibly intelligent screenwriter with a knack for comedy that could easily come across as desperate in lesser hands. It's enjoyable when all is said and done, and it's a shame these films have been swallowed up by the Netflix machine. This should be playing in theaters all throughout the holiday season.
GRADE: B
