No Mystery About Glass Onion Being A Great Sequel
From the puzzle box mind of Rian Johnson we’ve got our Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. And I am excited to report this movie is good.
This film is a Netflix-produced sequel to 2019’s Knives Out. The only holdover character from the previous installment is Benoit Blanc (southern fried fun from Daniel Craig) who is, as a matter of fact, moving to a different biosphere of rich weirdo.
The drama of the film is set in motion by Miles Bron, who sends his colorful friends a puzzle box that eventually invites them into the puzzle box of a plot. In fact, he invites them to solve his own murder. While Knives Out is about Old Money New England Weirdos Glass Onion is all about New Money and the toys that come with it. Miles Bron (Edward Norton) has a private island, custom Porsche and biometric bracelets that lead guests to their rooms, the whole nine. Edward Norton eats this movie up and gives the rest of the cast a run for their money.
Kathryn Hahn always has my attention but Dave Bautista’s insane energy was magnetic. The opening scene was almost entirely in split screen with our new main cast and in no time at all I felt like we knew every one of them. The group’s dynamic is interesting, and you can’t help but wonder what this weird group has in common. The answer is simply Miles. The whole cast plays to win, though, and they all understand the tone perfectly. Unsurprisingly Leslie Odom Jr is great, and Kate Hudson brings a truly unhinged energy, but before you know it we’re on a boat to Greece and the narrative ball is rolling.
As you might anticipate there is a murder.
There are secrets in secrets, clues in clues and surprises around every turn in this film. There are jokes aplenty, loads to look at and a little less vomit than the previous installment. There are also some really good cameos. I barely had any idea what the endgame was until the last few minutes, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. The Grecian sets are gorgeous, the house is a bright, enticing mystery house and Benoit Blanc brings it on home.
The costumes are stunning and truly well matched to the characters, details perfect, even down to their masks. That said, this film takes place in 2020 and was a Covid shoot. While they cover this pretty well across the board and fairly organically weave it into the narrative there are definitely a few jarring moments of masks and face shields.
This film truly is a glass onion, though. There are layers upon layers, but you can see it all. You just have to know what you’re looking at. I think I may even like it more than Knives Out. Can’t wait for a rewatch.
I give Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix; PG-13; 2hrs 19mins) a 4.5 out of 5.
