Following in the footsteps of its infamous prequel, Knives Out, The Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery accompanies Benoit Blanc to a private island in Greece where a group of celebrities has gathered in an attempt to forget about the current pandemic they are experiencing and to have some fun. Post his arrival, it is revealed that Blanc, who was invited to this gathering through a mysterious puzzle sent to him in the mail, was not an expected guest. Who invited him, and why? The who-done-it mystery you’ve been waiting for, The Glass Onion will begin streaming on Netflix on December 23.
Daniel Craig returns to star as Benoit Blanc, the famously attentive detective and is praised for his performance in this movie. He is joined by a plethora of other incredible actors in this movie including Kate Hudson, Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline, and Janelle Monáe. With 93% on rotten tomatoes, this sequel does not seem to disappoint.
In comparison to their successors, many movie sequels disappoint, so I’ve been paying very close attention to reactions and reviews. Knives Out had a loyal fanbase, those who loved it, LOVED it, and the few that disliked it expressed their displeasure. Overall, viewers of The Glass Onion seem to feel positive about it. IMDb user masonsaul notes, “Glass Onion further proves Rian Johnson's impressive credentials, matching its phenomenal predecessor in its quality delivering an equally strong sequel that tells an equally complex, funny and endlessly unpredictable narrative that's designed for multiple viewings,”. Being aware of what this film is being forced to live up to, this seems like a solid amount of praise and gives me a lot of hope. However, not all viewers feel the same. Wd-8, another reviewer on IMDb says, “I really wanted to like this, but the direction was lackluster. When you have a very complicated plot, then editing, pacing and direction are critical. This is not nearly as much fun as the first Knives Out, and the dialogue is strained,”. Knowing the directions that Knives Out went in, and the complexities involved in cutting scenes correctly to show viewers exact and certain sides of the actions within the film, I can completely see how it might not hit everything right. Wd-8 also suggests that if there was an option, a “director's cut” might be better to potentially add more depth and make the production more seamless.
Knives Out is one of my favorite movies and The Glass Onion has a very similar feel, with an entirely different aesthetic. Whereas Knives Out has a darker tone to it in an old house surrounded by books and mystery, The Glass Onion takes place on an island with a bunch of celebrities in the middle of a pandemic. It’s beachy, futuristic, and has much lighter tones and an emphasis on the present than Knives Out. That being said, I absolutely loved it. It was funny, surprising, interesting, and ultimately very fulfilling. Daniel Craig and Janelle Monáe worked together beautifully to portray their characters, and the dynamics that they created were fantastic. Many of the characters within the film are cliches, but this is used to the advantage of the plot to add a lot of comedy. Once released on Netflix, I plan on rewatching this movie and if you are a fan of mysteries or love comedy, I would definitely recommend checking The Glass Onion out.
Works Cited
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” Rotten Tomatoes, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/glass_onion_a_knives_out_mystery. Accessed 5 December 2022.
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022).” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11564570/. Accessed 5 December 2022.
“Rian Johnson.” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0426059/?ref_=tt_ov_wr. Accessed 5 December 2022.