Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Review
Here’s my Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery review which is directed by Rian Johnson and stars Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline with Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista.
Check out the trailer for Glass Onion below
Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc returns for another murder mystery in Rian Johnson’s new film which is now available exclusively on Netflix and he’s taking his quirky Southern accent
For this adventure, our dear Benoit is sent to the a beautiful island in Greece to participate in a murder mystery weekend hosted by the Elon Musk-y Miles Bron (Edward Norton). Bron has invited his group called the Disruptors for this weekend including their estranged friend Andi (Janelle Monae). And somebody also slipped Blanc an invitation.
Things get heated when one of Bron’s cronies Duke (Dave Bautista) dies on the spot as well as Andi. Blanc goes full detective mode and the real whodunit happens.
Wont spoil how things went with the film but I am ready to put down my thoughts.
For starters, Craig’s Benoit Blanc is once again an enjoyable character for the film. The accent is fun, the motives and the sneaking around is fun and even the way he establishes rapport with most of the members of this group is interesting. As usual, the way he solved both the fake murder and the real once was so engaging. If anything, he’s less uptight and still quirky for the man of his age. Plus he gets to be funnier this time around, funnier than what he was in “Knives Out”.
Janelle Monae steals the show for this film. Loved every moment she was onscreen and her sass and her screen presence, it was delightful. Plus she’s very pretty here (on both counts). And you can see the layers she put in certain scenes and certain dialogues.
I’m not sure whether I like how the antagonist here isn’t a cunning mastermind or someone who has some sort of plan but Norton’s Bron was an interesting antagonist nonetheless. Plus you gotta give credit to Norton for doing some good legwork for the film’s “villain”. I’ve seen better Norton as a villain movies but this one is a good addition to the “OK” list for the accomplished actor. Gotta love his Elon Musk impression too.
Dave Bautista or Batista is a treat to watch here. He definitely has more acting chops and I am 100% in with what Rian Johnson’s statement about Batista being the best wrestler turned actor. Plus you can check out the dude’s resume already. He did Dune, he’s in Guardians of the Galaxy, Blade Runner and more. Even his Stuber was funnier than whatever comedy Cena has.
Covid was such a bitch that it had to find its way into the story and writer/director Rian Johnson managed to make it work both in the narrative as well as in the production. And I don’t know why I’m hyperfocusing on this bit but maybe they wanted to explain in the real world why they were able to shoot a movie in the middle of the global pandemic and the global lockdowns. I dunno, seems sus.
Speaking of sus, I love the cameos and guests in the film and the references. We first meet Benoit Blanc playing Among Us with a bunch of wonderful people including Hugh Grant (who may or may not be Benoit Blanc’s partner), Angela Lansbury, Kareem Abdul Jabar and mentions of Jared Leto and Jeremy Renner. The list goes on and on. Plus he even references Batman when the term “World’s Greatest Detective” is brought up.
I liked the stylish ending. I didn’t expect it to be thorough and final like Knives Out did but for me I love what they are going for whether subtle or not, they aim to build a bigger world for Benoit Blanc to inhabit and explore. They don’t also kill off villains that could mean that if they achieve the success that they want they could do a big Knives Out movie with some of the guilty party returning, probably to exact their revenge on the “world’s greatest detective” who is not Batman.
Final Word
If you’re looking for a good movie that has murder mystery and a bit of comedy then Glass Onion is for you. It’s got a nice rewatch factor to it as well as a stellar cast that actually shines even if their roles are smaller than expected. I like how it both keeps you on the edge of your seat physically and keeps your mind alert too as you try to look for clues and references in the film. Definitely not suffering from the sequel sickness this one.
Verdict: 10/10
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