“Knives Out” from 2019 is considered one of the best murder mysteries in recent history, because of its fun writing style as well as its crazy mystery. Its sequel, “Glass Onion,” does not disappoint in any of those departments.
“Glass Onion,” directed by Rian Johnson, who also directed the first “Knives Out,” cast Daniel Craig as Benoit Blac, as well as Edward Norton, Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, and Janelle Monáe as the assorted suspects. Set in Greece on a secret island in the middle of nowhere, Beniot Blanc must solve the false murder of Miles Brons, a rich socialite, who asks the question: “Can murder be funny?” and answers it quickly. There is never a dull moment in this movie because of its good humor, the coolness that is Benoit Blanc, the crazy mystery plot, and the fun music.
One of the best things about this movie is its humor. Though “Knives Out” did have some good bits, it was never really funny. “Glass Onion” goes all out with humor, with a bunch of funny one-liners coming from the characters, as well as little cameos.
A good example of humor in this movie is the opening scene. It shows the friends of Miles Brons and the other main characters trying to solve a puzzle box sent by Miles over a phone call. The disorder of the call is amazing, and there are many funny background details like someone putting a fire out. The actors are also making quips back and forth poking fun at one another. This scene shows the amazing comedy in the film, as well as how the directing accentuates the acting.
Another aspect that makes this movie great is Benoit Blanc, the main character. He has definitely improved from the previous film, where he felt more like a side character moving the plot along but never doing anything truly stand out other than revealing the murder. In this movie, he is the focus and that’s a great thing because he is ridiculous. Benoit Blanc shines in the opening scene where he is failing at playing “Among Us” in a bathtub. The best part about this scene is how baffled he is when he loses; murder mysteries are basically his profession. This shows Beniot Blanc’s character, revealing that he is very good at solving crimes but he is a bit behind on the trends while trying his best.
The plot in this movie is also amazingly crafted, like the first one. There are plenty of the typical murder mystery twists and turns, but there are also some new ones that keep this movie exciting. I won’t spoil too much, but let’s just say you should keep an eye on what all the characters are doing. Also, try to focus on what is going on in the background.
While some of the music is the same as in “Knives Out,” there are new musical aspects that keep the music fun and exciting. For example, there are a bunch of “duh duh duh” sounds that leave you suspicious of all the characters. A good example of this is how they use a lot of weird instruments, like the harpsichord to have fun with the music in the main theme song.
While I think this movie is amazing, there are still things that could be improved. Many of the side characters don’t have that much to do, especially Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.’s character) and Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn’s character). Both are funny but I could not figure out their actual characters, whereas in the first movie all of the side characters had interesting storylines. The movie also has some ideas that seem like they would have a good payoff but didn’t. For example, the guy who was there for no reason was the point of the joke, but it didn’t fully make sense.
Even though “Glass Onion” has its flaws, it is a really fun movie to watch with the family. With lots of great scenes and twists, I would definitely say that this movie sticks the landing with a triple deluxe backflip into one of my favorite movies of the year.
