| My rating | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critics | Audience | Critics | Audience | |
| 9/10 | 81/100 | 8.0/10 | 91% | Unavailable |
What were extremely rich people doing during the first few months of the COVID-19 pandemic? It wouldn’t be a stretch to speculate that they were probably not following protocols and finding a way to enjoy themselves. And that’s what Rian Johnson imagines in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.
As the name suggests, it’s a follow-up to the 2019 movie that introduced the world to Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), a famous detective with a strong southern accent. In Knives Out, Benoit Blanc was investigating the death of a rich patriarch and the movie had a very strong social commentary. This time around, however, the plot and the suspects change completely, with only the detective returning, like Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot.
In Glass Onion, the audience is invited, along with detective Blanc, to a murder mystery party in a private island owned by tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). The main theme is disruption: who causes it and with which intent. Miles claims that all his guests are disruptors and challenged the system, which is why they’re successful.
Needless to say that the party takes a turn and detective Blanc must now solve an actual murder.
While the first Knives Out was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Screenplay category, Glass Onion’s writing is far superior and richer. The plot is more complex, and all of the characters are more interesting, with sharper dialogues. Not to mention the clever use of the term “glass onion,” both literally and figuratively (like in the song by The Beatles).
Daniel Craig’s performance is also better in Glass Onion, as he seems to have grown more into the character. The rest of the cast, the so-called “disruptors,” are Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., and Janelle Monáe, who has more opportunities to expand her performance. Madelyn Cline and Jessica Henwick round up the cast, as their characters are accompanying other guests.
Nathan Johnson’s whimsical score makes the movie even more fun to watch. The wardrobe is another highlight, especially Benoit Blanc’s swimming clothes.
Finally, the many surprise cameos just enhance the whole experience and prove that seeing it in theaters, with an audience, is much more entertaining, as everyone gasps at the same time.
Rian Johnson, who wrote and directed both movies and is already contracted for a third one, could be considered a disruptor himself. He took the murder mystery genre and made it his own, with so many changes to the structure of storytelling that it’s almost impossible to figure out the twists.
We can only hope he comes back to the third installment as inspired as he was in Glass Onion. It’s a delight to watch.
Glass Onion will be in theaters for one week, starting on November 23rd, and then it will be on Netflix on December 23rd.
