Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

After the monumental success of the first Knives Out, Rian Johnson revealed a partnership with Netflix that was about 500 million dollars and would produce at least two more Knives Out sequels. The vision was to mirror old detective series such as those written by Agatha Christie, where there would be a brand new mystery and a brand new cast with the only consistent factor being the detective Benoit Blanc, played to perfection by Daniel Craig. Throughout 2021 and 2022, as the cast slowly got announced, posters came out, and eventually the trailer, I couldn't help finding myself a little nervous. While I had full faith in Rian Johnson and his team, Knives Out is largely held by many (including myself) as one of the greatest mystery movies of the 21st century. It breathed new life into the mystery genre, revitalizing the whodunnit style of mystery movies. Similarly to how well choreographed action movies are compared to John Wick, these new mystery films post Knives Out, are all being held to its standard as well.

These nerves sat with me all the way up until I actually sat down and watched the movie. Fast-forward 2 hours and 19 minutes later, and as the credits rolled, I found myself in awe of Rian Johnson somehow creating a brand new movie that could easily be said to be just as good as the first Knives Out. Almost everything worked in this movie. Of course, the main draw of the original is the star-studded cast, and Glass Onion is no different. Edward Norton as eccentric billionaire Miles Bron; Janelle Monae as the mysterious yet sympathetic parallel to Ana de Armas' character in the original; and the star of the show Daniel Craig as Detective Benoit Blanc, were the primary standouts to me. Not to say that there was a single actor or actress that was unlikeable or bad in this movie. Leslie Odom Jr, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista (god I love Dave Bautista), Jessica Henwick, and Madelyn Cline all pulled their weight and together delivered an even more eclectic group than the original. I adored how much more personality was given to Benoit Blanc. While the previous movie seemed to be more about Ana de Armas's character, and the audience was seeing the events unfurl from her eyes, Glass Onion is all about Benoit as he's thrust into a sort of "fish out of water" scenario that both forces Blanc to flex his detective muscles as well as allows Craig to show everyone how funny he really is. My one major gripe with Knives Out (if I really was forced to have one) would be that the main detective of the film was the only one not to have as fleshed out of a personality as everyone else, but now that's been completely remediated by Glass Onion, I truly don't know what else to say in terms of a character standpoint.

While I keep drawing comparisons to the original, it's really not that fair toward Glass Onion. Rian Johnson perfectly crafted the film to where it can be viewed by anybody, regardless of if they've seen Knives Out, and they could have just as much fun with the movies as someone who has. Save for some subtle nods and callbacks, everything is completely new and detached from the original. While the original had more of a gothic, cold New-England backdrop, Glass Onion is set in the beachy tropical island backdrop of Greece. The actual mystery itself is very well crafted and doesn't follow any of the same story beats as the first one, allowing for new twists and clues that allow for the viewing experience to still be original. It's incredibly difficutly to create a rewatchable mystery movie as when you know the plot twists and what happens with the mystery, the major draw to the movie has been eliminated. Yet, I've seen both Knives Out and Glass Onion at least 4-5 times and have had fun with it every time. If anything, picking up on all the little things I missed on a rewatch just make it more fun to watch.

Of course, no movie is without its faults and while I did say it's not fair to keep comparing it to the original, it's also very difficult not to considering the movie exists and is in the same series as this one. Glass Onion doesn't do anything to revitalize the mystery genre as its predecessor did, nor does it need to, but the reason why Knives Out worked for me so well is because I didn't expect the movie to be as good as it was. My expectations for Glass Onion were already quite high and the movie met and exceeded them, yet that feeling of shock and awe was depleted due to the existance and flawless execution of the original. On a plot level, there are a few minor plot holes that you catch the more you think about it, but not enough to where it detracts from how fun and entertaining the film is. Overall, more than anything is, the combination of Glass Onion and Knives Out is a testament to just how good of a filmaker Rian Johnson is. Rare is it to see a director who puts as much attention to his films on just a technical level as Johnson. The way he frames each scene to attract a viewers eye in some specific way, or how he perfectly envisions each character and builds an individually distinguishable wardrobe for each in order to convey their personality purely through clothing, or even the beautiful score that honestly might make my playlists so I can listen to them in my spare time, is something that not many directors do and is what seperates him from the rest. Needless to say, the Knives Out series is shaping to be one of my favorite mystery series of all time, and I am thrilled to see what comes next.

Star Rating: 9/10