The “whodunit” genre has always been a style of movies or television that has either been a hit or a miss. Many have failed because some feel unoriginal, predictable, and overall unexciting. Three years ago, Rian Johnson released his take on the genre in the form of Knives Out. It was a masterpiece because it communicated a simple message in a complex way through details, people, and society as a whole. If you have not watched Knives Out yet, I highly recommend it: you can stream it on Netflix.
Johnson recently released his second film of the franchise, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, to theaters over Thanksgiving. The first note to keep in mind is that Glass Onion is not a sequel to Knives Out, as it introduces an entirely new story arc, mystery, and cast of characters, with only Daniel Craig reprising his role as the eccentric and charming detective, Benoit Blanc. Glass Onion feels like an entirely new film, exploring new themes, settings, and creative plot twists.
Licensing and Streaming
If you have not seen Glass Onion yet, do not fret as it will soon come to Netflix on December 23rd for you and your family to watch together over the holiday. Now, it may be strange that this film will be streamed on Netflix only a month after its theatrical release. However, the reason for the early streaming is due to Netflix’s purchase of rights to produce two Knives Out sequels for $465 million last year. As opposed to only releasing a film for streaming, Netflix is launching a new clever strategy to release their film to theaters for a short period, until it will come to their platform shortly after.
Reviews
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery scored a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.0/10 on IMDB, very similar numbers to its predecessor’s 97% and 7.9/10. The overall consensus for this film is very positive, with many fans and critics loving Rian Johnson’s latest twist.
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery brings back Benoit Blanc for another wildly entertaining mystery rounded out by an outstanding ensemble cast.” – Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus
Cast
In my opinion, one of the best aspects of the first film was its iconic cast (in addition to Daniel Craig), which included Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Christopher Plummer. Glass Onion lived up to these expectations with its own distinctive cast: Fight Club‘s Edward Norton, Outer Banks’s Madelyn Cline as well as Kate Hudson and Kathryn Hahn are just among the few stellar performances that define this murder mystery film.
Storytelling
One of the most iconic aspects of the first film was Rian Johnson’s care for details. Glass Onion certainly lives up to its predecessor in this category. If you are looking for an intricately crafted film, Rian Johnson again delivers. One of the biggest differences between this film and its predecessor was the former’s focus on technology and politics. This led to a different tone and style that allowed it to stand out as a unique film. Glass Onion also excels in plot twists and building tension. Whether you liked or didn’t like what happened, one thing is for sure: nobody could have predicted it.
Synopsis
The film opens with an amusing but smart sequence of events that introduce the viewers to a large portion of the main cast, a societal elite group called the “Disruptors.” After solving a variety of carefully engineered puzzles, the group receives an invitation to their annual get-together from tech billionaire Miles Bron. He invites them to his isolated mansion in the beautiful Aegean Sea off of Greece. However, their plans go awry when the genius detective Benoit Blanc shows up uninvited by accident, and former friend Andi also dramatically arrives amidst conflict. Bron introduces the bunch to his futuristic home he calls the Glass Onion and mysteriously proposes a game to solve his own murder. Can Blanc solve this mystery as well as the truth of this elite group before it turns deadly?
Conclusion
I personally loved this film, especially the tense scenes, mind-blowing plot twists, and the precise craftsmanship Johnson utilized to make this film unique. Johnson does currently have a third film planned for the franchise, and I cannot wait to see another iteration of this incredible series. I would recommend this film to anyone who is looking to watch something different or anyone who appreciates true film artistry. It is certainly an experience you will never forget!
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