It would probably be hyperbolic to claim that Glass Onion is to Knives Out what The Godfather: Part II is to the original Godfather. By that I mean that it’s a sequel that is arguably bigger, brooder, wider in scope, has more going on thematically, and an all around better movie than the original but still lacks the iconic moments, quotes, character beats, and the overall “spark” that the first one provided. Making what feels like should be a better movie in every single way but just doesn’t. However, it would also not be fair to judge these movies through their lenses since unlike with the two Godfather movies, it’s not aiming to be as symbolic thematically or be a direct sequel to one another but just providing crowd pleasing entertainment that will make for a rocking good time out with the friends. However, like those two untouchable masterpieces, this is looking to be a perfect companion piece that stands well on it’s own without putting so much pressure on itself without concerns as to how they can outdo what they did the first time around.
Here again we have an all-star cast full of great talent being all laid back and having the time of their lives with director/writer Rian Johnson’s top-notch directing and air-tight, witty screenplay able to carry them the whole way through. I don’t know if I liked Glass Onion just as much as the first Knives Out but at the same time, it’s really hard for me to care if I don’t because it’s still remains a blast regardless.
Premise: Taking place in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic (Yes, that’s actually a thing here!), a high-tech billionaire named Miles Bron (Edward Norton) sends encrypted boxes to four of his closet friends for an invitation to a murder mystery-themed party. Those four friends include, scientist Lionel Toussiant (Leslie Odom Jr.), state governor of Connecticut Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), former supermodel turned fashion designer Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and twitch streamer and men’s right activist (Duke Cody). A couple of other folks that are also along for the fiesta include Birdie’s assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), Duke’s girlfriend Whiskey (Madelyn Cine), Miles’ former business partner Andi (Janelle Monae), and the infamous/well-known detective we followed in the first movie Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig).
Despite being informed by Miles himself that he didn’t received an invitation, Blanc is able to stay after he stated to Miles that his arrival is due to the possibility of one of Miles’ friends attempting to murder him during the vacation. As expected, someone eventually turns up dead and ends up spoiling all the fun for the gang. It’s then that Blanc has to put his detective skills to the test along with one of the found members of the group as they look to solve the case of the murder mystery before chaos reigns supreme at Glass Onion itself.
While Glass Onion might technically be a sequel to the original Knives Out, it’s not necessarily a direct one. Knowledge of the events that transpired in the first film is not needed to fully understand this installment. Only Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc and Noah Sean (playing a totally different character this time out) return here for the ride. That in of itself makes it abundantly clear that Johnson sees his Knives Out franchise as one of episodic adventures and not so much of one with a heavy usage of continuity and lore. Even so, Glass Onion puts just as much advantage with that as one can hope that still continues the story of Benoit Blanc but with a new case with new people this time around.
The mystery (No spoilers, I promise!) is even more twisty and turny this time out as you get to see the whole scenario play out through multiple lenses. This is definitely a movie that I will imagine will play well on multiple viewings as just about nearly every plot point and Easter egg involving all the characters involve get a payoff of some sort. There’s so much intrigue with everyone here that you might even forget at times that this is still suppose to be a murder mystery. Not just because the characters themselves are having a good time one another for good chunks of it but it seems like the cast themselves are so into it and stand out so well on their own that it’s unfortunate that someone is likely going have to die. That could be seen as a problem but there’s enough going on here that it makes sure that the whole “who lives/who dies” is not the only thing that matters here.
Despite the murder mystery being the point of the movie, it’s not the only point. Even if you are able to guess who the main killer (or killers (?)) are ahead of time, it’s clear that there is much more to solve in the mystery than just whose guilty of murder and who is not.
What also helps is that the cast is downright terrific here. Every one in the cast bounces each other really well that even those with characterization that is a bit thin such as Jessica Henwicks’s Peg or Leslie Odom Jr.’s Lionel fit so good here that it really doesn’t matter. Daniel Craig is back once again clearing having the time of his life as an over-the-top detective with an amusing but also downright funny accent, who now practically has his own franchise after 007 if he wants to continue doing this for the next decade or so. Noah Segan doesn’t get as much standout moments as before but is still a delight with the minimum screen presence he has. The rest of the cast are tremendous with the big standouts for me being Edward Norton, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, and especially Janelle Monae. It’s hard to describe Monae without getting into spoilers with the character (or characters (?)) that she plays but she has an absolutely mesmerizing screen presence here that will definitely get the attention from those that aren’t familiar with her work.
From a directorial and technical standpoint, it’s about as good as it can get with a movie with this budget. Rian Johnson clearly knows the movies he’s trying to make here and what things he is best at behind the camera. He always seems to know how not only how to make a movie look good but also have his actors look good right in front of it. The cinematography by Steve Yedlin is rock solid along with everything else. Editor Bob Ducsay might have had a more of a challenging time this time out by taking the same story but add multiple viewpoints but he does a good enough job where he is still able to leave things up to interpretation no matter the focus until everything ties together. The one element that I found slightly underwhelming is the score by Nathan Johnson. It’s not bad per se but there are certain character themes that don’t feel like they fit with the rest of the movie and play far too many times than it should. It’s hard to explain but let’s just say there’s a theme that plays for Janelle Monae that is like the equivalent of that over-the-top Wonder Woman theme. Just like with that one, it’s fine in it’s own right but really doesn’t belong in the movies they are in.
If there’s another minor nitpick I have is that I really don’t like how some movies nowadays are inserting the Covid-19 pandemic into their settings. I can understand from a certain point of view why it would be appropriate for a movie like this considering it attempts to tackle conflict and ideology in modern times while also feeling like period pieces for the near future. However, Covid-19 was just an absolute disaster in the real world and the pandemic was such a major globing event that affected many lives for the worse that I don’t think it’s worth bringing into movies. It’s not as part of the plot as say Kimi but it might make you roll your eyes until it’s just forgetting all together. Definitely not the worst example of this but it still remains an example.
Apologies if this review comes up as short and not as in depth as prior ones are but there’s just not much that needs to be say about Glass Onion other than it’s another rocking good time like the first movie. Rian Johnson is clearly at home with these movies, knowing exactly what he wants to do and exactly how to do it. It’s entertaining, the cast is stellar, the screenplay is air tight, there’s plenty of laughs and shocks along the way, and it might even make you hungry for more of these kind of movies.
This might have been originally made as a Netflix exclusive but I believe that’s a mistake in of itself because these are the kind of movies that can keep cinema going as the superhero bubble might be bursting soon and Hollywood looks for the next successful genre or sub-genre to ride the cocktails on. See this on the big screen if you can and watch it again once it comes out on Netflix right around Christmas time! These are the kind of movies I don’t seeing wearing out their welcome for me anytime soon.
Bring on the third one! Heck, bring on three more after that and make a saga out of it! Certainly worse movies out there to make a saga with!
Other comments:
- There’s been recent reports that this movie is actually doing even better at the box office than some other flicks coming out during this holiday weekend. Kinda goes to show how much of a mistake it was to make this as a Netflix exclusive.
- It’s gonna be hilarious to see how many members of a certain political group are gonna think this movie embraces their politics because of Dave Bautista and Madelyn Cine’s characters when it’s actually making fun of them. It’ll be the same people that think Andor supports their politics because of the way the Empire is potrayed!
- Andor is terrific btw! Go watch it!
- Did the movie ever explain how Noah Segan actually got to Glass Onion or was I just phasing out when that happened? Either way, it gave me more Noah Segan so I can’t complain.
- Bring back Janelle Monae in the next one! And have Blanc’s “boyfriend” play a role as well!
Adam's Blog 