GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Following its release in 2019, Knives Out was successful both with critics, who praised the creative writing and directing by Rian Johnson, and at the box office, making over $311 million. Three years later and a sequel has been released named Glass Onion. Like its predecessor, the sequel features a star studded cast led by Daniel Craig as the private detective Benoit Blanc, however, is it as entertaining as Knives Out?

This fresh adventure finds the intrepid detective, Benoit Blanc, at a lavish private estate on a Greek island, but how and why he comes to be there is only the first of many puzzles. Blanc soon meets a distinctly disparate group of friends gathering at the invitation of billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) for their yearly reunion. Among those on the guest list are Miles' former business partner Cassandra Brand (Janelle Monáe), current Connecticut governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), cutting-edge scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), fashion designer and former model Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and her conscientious assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), and influencer Duke Cody (Dave Baustista) and his sidekick girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline). As in all the best murder mysteries, each character harbors their own secrets, lies and motivations. When someone turns up dead, everyone is a suspect.

Because of the success of Knives Out, expectations were high for Johnson’s follow up, Glass Onion. A lot of sequels are disappointments as they fail to match the quality of their predecessor, fortunately, that’s not the case with Glass Onion which is just as entertaining as Knives Out. Like the latter, Glass Onion has a twisted mystery at the centre of its narrative and features a talented ensemble cast who each deliver fun performances as their characters. 

I can’t imagine fans of Knives Out being disappointed with what Johnson has created with Glass Onion. In the last decade, the filmmaker has impressed with his original sci-fi thriller, Looper, which was released in 2012 and starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis. In 2017, Johnson directed The Last Jedi, which was the eighth episode in the Star Wars franchise and was praised for taking the franchise in a fresh new direction. In 2019, Johnson made Knives Out which was different to his previous films as it had a comedic tone and a murder mystery plot. In my opinion, Knives Out represents Johnson at his best as it’s his funniest film. Because of this, Glass Onion was my most anticipated film of the year and, fortunately, it didn’t disappoint and further establishes Johnson as one of the most creative filmmakers working today. Glass Onion features more of the same as its predecessor including a murder mystery plot filled with clever and surprising twists, eccentric and interesting characters who are suspects and each have a motive for their involvement in the murder. It’s best watching Glass Onion knowing as little as possible as it’ll make for a more unpredictable watch. 

Like Knives Out, Glass Onion features an impressive ensemble cast who all deliver fun performances as their characters. Craig returns as the eccentric private detective Benoit Blanc who, at the beginning of the film, is spending his isolation during the pandemic in the bath playing video games online. Desperate for a new case to solve, Blanc is delighted when he is invited by Miles to his private island in Greece for his fake murder mystery party. After leaving his most famous role of British spy James Bond in No Time To Die last year, it’s fun to watch Craig in a more comedic role. The supporting cast are all on top form, including Edward Norton as billionaire Miles Bron who wants to have fun with his friends by throwing a fake murder mystery party, however, when someone dies, the suspense increases as Blanc struggles to solve the case and find the murderer. Hudson is perfectly sweet as Birdie Jay, an innocent model and clothes designer who thinks that sweatshops are where sweatpants are made. Hahn was a scene stealer as Agatha Harkness in last year’s Disney+ series, WandaVision, which is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In Glass Onion, she portrays Claire Debella who is conscious about her reputation as she’s running for Senate. Dave Baustista is best known for his career as a wrestler, however, in 2014, he made the transition to actor and delivered a memorable performance as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy, which was also set in the MCU. In 2015, he starred alongside Craig in Spectre as the intimidating Mr. Hinx. As Duke, Baustista delivers his funniest performance. Of the supporting cast, Monáe is the stand out as Cassandra Brand. At first, Cassandra is portrayed as the outsider as she has a tense relationship with the other characters, however, there was a clever twist to her that I didn’t see coming.

Although Knives Out was released in cinemas, Glass Onion will be released on the streaming site, Netflix, just before Christmas in December. However, it will also be released in cinemas a month earlier. In my opinion, I think that it’s best to watch Glass Onion on a big screen as it’s the perfect form of escapism and will keep you entertained throughout. It’s also filled with subtle clues and details that probably will go unnoticed when watched at home as viewers are easily distracted and may lose interest. 

From its amusing opening sequence, which introduces the new characters as they try to open a puzzle box sent to them by Miles, to its twisted ending, Glass Onion is a rarely anything less than entertaining with hardly a dull moment to be found in its 139 minute runtime. 

8/10