Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Netflix Movie Review

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

Watch Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on Netflix
Written by: Rian Johnson
Directed by: Rian Johnson
Starring: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline
Rated: PG-13
Watch the trailer

Plot
Famed Southern detective Benoit Blanc travels to Greece for his latest case.

Verdict
It's entertaining from start to finish, though it includes the usual aspects of a sequel. It's bigger in all regards with a scope that includes not only a mystery but a mission to skewer the rich and famous. Being a mystery movie, no scene in the first half of the movie is quite what we suspect. This provides plenty of suspects, and the ultimate answer is certainly satisfying. Though, I did expect to see more Benoit, or at least that he'd be a more pivotal character at the end. I really wanted some of the sharp dialog and acrimonious characters from the first movie. This one just doesn't have the tension between characters, and some of the suspects could be cut and it wouldn't change the story much.
Watch It.

Review
Netflix bought the rights to two Knives Out sequels. This is the first sequel.

The movie builds methodically as we're introduced to one character after another, before it's revealed they know each other. Each of them get a big box that contains multiple puzzles that reveal an invitation to a murder mystery weekend. It's layered, and this movie hits on the idea of onions and layers frequently.

Ed Norton plays Miles Bron

Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig), the one outsider, also attends eccentric billionaire Miles's (Ed Norton) party. This is certainly fun from the start as this takes aim at social media, tech moguls, politicians, and influencers. I thought this would do more with that. They are easy targets for ridicule, but that line of humor doesn't last long.

Tension abounds between former business partners Andi (Janelle Monáe) and Miles. We're slowly given a reason as to why each guest has an issue with Miles. Is it a reason to kill? He seems to be funding all of them, but that's not without strings.

Kathryn Hahn, Madelyn Cline, Ed Norton, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson play Claire Debella, Whiskey, Miles Bron, Lionel Toussaint, Birdie Jay

The start of Miles's part is where the mystery begins, though how Benoit handles that is a lot of fun and certainly a bit of a joke. I expected the movie to toy with the murder mystery during a murder mystery party more, but perhaps the reason it doesn't is precisely because I expected it.

The movie plants some clues early on, and we even revisit a few scenes. I appreciate that the Jeremy Renner Hot Sauce comes back into play. The movie keeps you guessing and while it's certainly angling to make us think Andi is a suspect, you can never trust a mystery movie. Andi has a reason to dislike everyone here. It has all the twists you'd want, but this movie is a bigger attempt than the first. It's not a miss, but it's also easy to compare this to the first. I loved the infighting of the first movie. The dialog isn't as sharp in this one, and I really wanted more of Benoit chewing the scenery. This movie focuses a bit too much on spectacle.

Jessica Henwick, Kate Hudson, Daniel Craig play Peg, Birdie Jay, Benoit Blanc

This has many aspects of a sequel. It's bigger in nearly all regards, but it does maintain a level of fun. I like how this introduces these rich characters who see everything as disposable. That idea isn't completely abandoned, but this doesn't feel as sharp as the first movie. This is attempting to skewer bigger, but a lot of the characters feel like filler.  You could delete a couple of characters and not change the movie much, other than crossing a suspect off your list. Some of these characters just don't have a moment, and they need it. It was some of those characters moments that I really enjoyed in the first movie. The first movie focused on an upper class family, and that small focus on family friction permeated across everyone.

This aims for a big finish, and while the finish is big it's not because of the reveal but more of what characters do. I appreciate the fun this has with the genre, but the cheeky humor in the first half of the movie is abandoned in the second half. I enjoyed this, but no question the first is better.