Rian Johnson Director Showcase

With the release of Glass Onion, I decided to watch all six of Rian Johnson's films. Rian Johnson is mainly known as the guy who "ruined Star Wars" by directing The Last Jedi. However, he is so much more than that film and has directed quite a few very good movies. One of the things Rian Johnson is known for is subverting expectations. He takes a familiar genre or idea and then does something completely different than what the audience expects whether it be as big as flipping the whole idea of a type of film, or as small as taking a plot point everyone thinks is going to go one way and then take it in a completely different direction. Sometimes it works out very well for him and other times he is hated for it (ie. The Last Jedi). Personally, I don't think he has made a bad film. With that being said, here are my thoughts and ranking of all six of Rian Johnson's films.

6. Brick

Brick is the weakest of Rian Johnson's films though still not a bad movie. What makes this movie unique is that it takes a familiar setting and flips it on its head. The movie is set as a high school movie with a bunch of kids as the main characters. However, the story itself is a detective noir-type story about murder and an underground drug business. This movie takes two completely different concepts and mashes them together in an interesting story. I really enjoyed the detective aspect of the story and thought it was so interesting. It was really hard to get past the fact that all of this adult-like drug dealing is going on yet these characters are all just high schoolers. It is a really unique combination but somehow works. What puts this at the bottom of the list is that I found the story to be a bit hard to follow though that may have been more of an issue with me than the movie itself. I also don't really find myself ever re-watching this film. While it is an interesting idea and well done, it just isn't one I find myself watching again. Overall, this is a movie with a really interesting idea but just not a movie I would find myself ever wanting to watch again.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

5. The Last Jedi

The Last Jedi is probably the most divisive of Rian Johnson's films. A lot of people really liked its new ideas and different take on Star Wars, while other people hated it and thought it "ruined their childhood". I find myself in the middle of the two sides. I don't think it's the best Star Wars movie, but it definitely isn't the worst either. This movie has some really high highs that are some of the best in the franchise but also some really low lows that are some of the worst in the franchise. This film has some very exciting moments and a lot of battles that are really well done. I also thought that the lightsaber duel with Kylo Ren and Rey on the star destroyer was one of the best in the series. Finally, I didn't hate the direction the film took Luke as much as everyone else does. It seems like a natural place for his character to be after he shares what happened in his past. The main issue I have with this film is that there are too many lapses in logic and issues on a plot level. The main example of this is Holdo not telling anyone her plan. It creates a false sense of conflict that would have easily been avoided had she told everyone what was going on instead of thinking they were going to die. It also causes this whole pointless side plot with Finn and Rose that has no impact on the overall story. I also had an issue with how Rian Johnson tried to undo everything the last film set up. It really hurt the overall cohesiveness of the trilogy and made it really difficult to write the third film. In the end, this is a better Rian Johnson film than it is a Star Wars film. It has some pretty high highs but also some significant issues that keep it from being higher on this list.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

4. The Brothers Bloom

The Brothers Bloom is Rian Johnson's take on the heist genre. The movie takes what the audience knows about typical heist movies and flips it on its head by making the mark of the heist actually being a part of the heist. The whole story is run by Mark Ruffalo's character Stephen and it is really interesting to see just how in control he is. The story is really well done in a way where you aren't sure if everything that is happening is a part of the plan or if things are getting messed up and causing the plan to change. Both brothers are really interesting characters as you really get to see what makes them tick and why they do what they do. I also really enjoyed the Rachel Weisz character. She was a fun addition to the story and a great companion for Bloom. I also liked how the whole movie seems to be about misdirection and the audience doesn't really understand what is truly going on until the end. This movie reminds me a lot of movies like Ocean's 11 and Now You See Me. The only issue I had with this film is that I felt it dragged just a bit in the middle act but overall, this is a fun movie with an interesting take on the heist genre.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

3. Looper

Looper is Rian Johnson's Sci-Fi time travel action thriller. This is a really exciting and thrilling movie with a lot of twists and turns. There are several really cool action sequences as well as a couple of truly unsettling scenes that almost venture into the realm of horror. The movie is really able to keep viewers on the edge of their seats the entire time. The premise of the film is also really interesting as it is about assassins that are hired to kill people from the future and then eventually have to kill their future selves when their contract is done. It is a really unique take on the time travel genre. I really enjoyed the characters in this as well. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis do a great job of playing the present and future versions of the same character. Emily Blunt also does a great job as this protective mother that can also hold her own.

The only thing keeping this from being higher is that the time travel continuity can get a little confusing at times and it is sometimes unclear why some characters know certain things that they do. Asides from that, this is a very well-done movie. In the end, Rian Johnson delivers a thriller action movie that keeps viewers enticed the entire time.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

2. Glass Onion

Glass Onion is Rian Johnson's newest film. As with Knives Out, this film is a fun unique take on the mystery genre. Daniel Craig as detective Blanc does great in his role and is a lot of fun on screen and supplies a good amount of humor. The other characters in the film are also a lot of fun to watch. They each have a unique trait or memorable characteristic that allows them to be a good contribution to the film. They are also written very well as they are all terrible people but are still really likable and are nice to see on screen. The mystery itself is also really interesting. It takes what is expected from these types of movies and totally subverts it. I also really like how the whole reveal was done for the story it really put all the other actions in context. The only things that keep this out of the top spot are that I thought the flashback sequence was a bit too long and the ending seemed a bit excessive. Overall, this is a really fun murder mystery film that is a great follow-up to Knives Out.

Score: 8.6/10 Grade: A-

1. Knives Out

In my opinion, Knives Out is Rian Johnson's best film. It is a solid mystery film with a fun story and interesting characters. Daniel Craig steals the show as Detective Blanc. The rest of the characters are also really interesting and likable. Marta has a sort of innocence about her that you can't help but route for. The Thrombey family are also great additions as their dysfunctionality is really funny to watch. Chris Evans is also great in this film. It is fun to see him play against the Captain America type. I also thought there was a good amount of humor throughout the story with a lot of scenes showcasing the more subtle humor. Finally, I thought the overall story was really well done. It takes what you expect about a typical mystery movie and flips it on its head while still making for a compelling mystery. In the end, this is a solid story with a lot of great characters, and is really Rian Johnson at his best.

Score: 8.8/10 Grade: A-