Glass Onion mystifies audiences around the world
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” is one the most entertaining movies I have seen in my life. “Glass Onion” is the sequel to “Knives Out,” a movie released in 2019. Both are new and modern and, as many have said, bring new life to the murder mystery genre. Modernizing the genre brought in new audiences unlike anything else in recent times.
“Knives Out” was and remains to be my favorite movie, so I had high expectations going into “Glass Onion.” The original followed Daniel Craig’s intelligent and eccentric Benoit Blanc, a detective solving the mysterious death of a famous murder mystery novelist, and the drama revolved around his family, who would all differently benefit from their patriarch’s disappearance, financially.
“Glass Onion” led with a return to Blanc getting introduced to his next mystery during quarantine. Blanc is sent a mysterious invitation in the form of an elaborate puzzle box to an Elon Musk-type billionaire’s private island mansion. Miles Bron, the billionaire, sends an invitation to his closest friends, a group they call “The Disruptors,” along with one to Blanc. The invitation invites them to help solve his own murder that will occur during the trip.
We cannot discuss the movie itself without first talking about the absolutely phenomenal and star-studded cast. Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc, Edward Norton as Miles Bron, the billionaire, Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, and Madelyn Cline, all of which perform their parts perfectly. Without them, the movie would not be a tenth of a percent as entertaining.
This movie definitely keyed into an aspect of the first one, humor. “Knives Out” had many humorous scenes and dialogue, but it was actually enhanced in “The Glass Onion.” There are so many scenes that stir up a chuckle or two, such as one of the opening scenes which sees Blanc playing online video games in the bathtub with Angela Lansbury, Stephen Sondheim, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Natasha Lyonne all on zoom.
A noticeable aspect of the film is the numerous twists and turns that change who the suspect could be in every scene. During the movie, perspectives change, allowing you to gain insight into different angles of various situations.
Additionally, I couldn’t discuss the film without mentioning the amazing costumes, writing, and set. The house, in Greece, is purely breathtaking; the house is next to a beach and has a literal giant glass onion dome and a lazy susan for a car. The dialogue in each scene was spectacular, leaving me with many memorable moments and lines. I also constantly found myself appreciating the outfits of the cast throughout the movie, namely Kate Hudson and Janelle Monáe’s outfits.
For the viewers, the most exciting part of a mystery is trying to solve it. Unfortunately, one of the shortcomings of this movie relates to that. Honestly, I think it would be really hard to solve the mystery definitively while watching most of the movie. While I do think it could be possible by taking extensive notes, pausing, and replaying scenes, viewers might just find it more enjoyable to watch the movie as it is. Even though the movie is pretty difficult to solve while watching all the way through, that doesn’t take away from the movie itself, and it is still really enjoyable to watch.
One of the best parts about Knives Out was the ending; it was extremely satisfying and validating. Glass Onion shares that feature with an equally appealing ending.
“Glass Onion” is one of my favorite movies I’ve ever seen. It is enjoyable, entertaining, exciting and clever. It is definitely worth a watch or a couple watches. The movie was only available for the week of Thanksgiving in theaters, but it will be available on Netflix starting Dec. 23. Mark the date in your calendar because “Glass Onion” is coming, and it will be more than worth the watch.
