Movie Info
Movie Name: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Studio: Netflix/T-Street
Genre(s): Mystery/Suspense
Release Date(s): September 13, 2022 (Toronto International Film Festival)/November 23, 2022 (US)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
The gang’s all here!
Miles Bron (Edward Norton) is one of the world’s richest men and an inventor of the highest level. When he summons his cadre of friends Senate candidate Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson), Birdie’s assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.), video game streamer Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), and Duke’s girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cline) to his Greek island resort Glass Onion, they find there is another bonus guest…the crime solving detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig). Blanc received his invitation by accident, but the murder mystery weekend is unstoppable. With Bron’s disgruntled former partner Helen Brand (Janelle Monáe) joins the group and a real murder occurs…and shocking revelations.
Written and directed by Rian Johnson, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a murder mystery movie. The film is a follow-up to Knives Out from 2019 with initial plans to release it delayed by COVID-19, and it received a limited theatrical release before being released on Netflix on December 23, 2022. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Which one of them is coming for me!?!
I liked Knives Out. It was a fun and clever film that both felt familiar and all new. As Glass Onion starts, it feels very different than Knives Out and kind of started to feel like it jumped the shark, but by the end, it had won me over. Due to aspects of the script, a ******spoiler alert****** exists for the rest of the film.
The film has a different tone than the previous entry. Bron is an Elon Musk type character and all of his guests live more in the public eye. Likewise, you get a bit more into Blanc’s life though much of it is still kept ambiguous. The mystery plays out in a similar fashion and like the previous entry, the obvious answer is the right answer. It is an odd set-up because you are questioning things that happen (like the weak invitation explanation), but it does play out in a way that makes sense.
The real star of the movie
Daniel Craig continues to have fun with the Benoit Blanc character, but Janelle Monáe is a scene stealer as the twin sister with a goal of solving her twin’s murder. Also stealing her scenes is Kate Hudson as the dimwitted celebrity that Tweets before she thinks while Leslie Odom Jr. scientist is a bit under-developed. Kathryn Hahn shows promise as a politician with bigger plans, but her character also doesn’t pan out much (nor her assistant Jessica Henwick who seems like a non-character). Dave Bautista does his thick character well (though I liked his intelligent character in Blade Runner 2049 more). Madelyn Cline role is small as Whiskey, but I think her character showed depth. Edward Norton always seems to play a variation of the same character, but he plays it well. The movie also features cameos by Ethan Hawk, Natasha Lyonne, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Yo-Yo Ma, Serena Williams, Jake Tapper, Hugh Grant, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (sort of). Both Angela Lansbury and Stephen Sondheim died before the release of the film.
Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa, men have named you…
The movie is loaded with quick edits and flashy photography that was also indicative of the first film. Stylistically, this film is much brighter and inhabits a much cleaner and more streamlined world. It is also interesting that the film takes place during COVID-19 and the lockdowns surrounding it. While it feels like many films choose to ignore COVID-19, Glass Onion embraces it.
Glass Onion demonstrates that Rian Johnson does have a knack for fun mysteries. I was not a fan of his Star Wars entry, but I liked both Knives Out so I hope he continues down that pathway. Both Knives Out and Glass Onion featured a smartly crafted story, and I hope if they continue to build the world of Benoit Blanc that they don’t risk the mysteries and the stories…because they are fun to unwrap as they upend the genre.
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