Glass Onion is a standalone sequel in the world of Knives Out! After the first’s success, the franchise was purchased by Netflix. You can head to the theater for one week only starting November 23, and then at home on Netflix following.
This is another whodunnit crafted by writer/director Rian Johnson, filled with a top-tier cast that are all having the time of their lives on set. Lead by Daniel Craig, the only returning cast member from Knives Out, as Benoit Blanc, the world’s greatest detective. If Craig’s character doesn’t work, neither of these films work, and somehow, no matter how outlandish or over the top he might feel at moments, it always works!
The rest of this cast is rounded out by Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson, and Dave Bautista. Just like the first, they went after an all-star cast, gave them what must be one of the most fun scripts they’ve ever read, and said go play at the playground. Everyone is giving their A game in this. Without giving too much away, (I actually saw this film without even watching a trailer), I don’t want to go too in depth on which cast members stand out. It’s a whodunnit! You need to be surprised! What I will say is usually, I’m not the biggest Dave Bautista fan, but Rian Johnson utilizes him in a great way!
Speaking of which, that brings us to the real star of these films, Rian Johnson. I might be a little biased here, Johnson is one of my favorite filmmakers working today, but his talent with these films alone is exemplary. I’m not saying Glass Onion is perfect or the best film of the year even, but as a writer/director, Rian Johnson has the audience exactly where he wants them throughout the entire runtime. He is in control, and he alone has somehow come up with this unbelievably complex story, with what feels like almost too many reveals and AHA! moments that they become too common to be blown away. This sequel is masterfully crafted once again to make almost every line, and every shot, something important. Something that can be called back on later and given another side to the story you never saw coming.
Like I said, Glass Onion isn’t perfect. The movie drags a little bit throughout its 2 hour and 20- minute runtime. Understandably so, there’s a lot of exposition dumps, and monologues explaining what we’ve been missing in plain sight the entire time. I almost wish we could have some surprising aspects of this film shown to us in real time, instead of being revealed later, but that’s the point of these films. Johnson CAN and WILL surprise you over and over.
Overall, I really enjoyed Glass Onion and think it’s a worthy sequel to the great, Knives Out! I would highly recommend seeing this in a theater if you can, during it’s one week stint. Having a crowd to react, as well as a massive screen in front of you, gives you the best chance to catch all the details you might miss at home on your TV. I guarantee you’ll leave the theater feeling like you got your moneys worth!
'Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery' is in Theaters on on November 23rd and on Netflix December 23rd, 2022.
Rating: 4.25 out of 5
Logan Wischmeier (Contributing Editor) is a Texas native and a massive fan of all genres of film. You can find him talking about movies on YouTube or in line for the latest Star Wars/Comic Book film.Click Here to check out Logan's Articles.