Rian Johnson returns to direct the sequel to Knives Out with yet another all star cast and new murder mystery for detective Benoit Blanc to solve. While I liked the first Knives Out, I found it quite easy to pick out who the real murderer was, as I felt it was revealed far too soon. With Glass Onion, Johnson fixes this problem by using a different structure from the first film and taking advantage of setting the majority of the story on this private Greek island. The first twenty or so minutes hilariously pokes fun at the absurd optics of C0v!d, with characters obsessively watching CNN Dr. Fauci propaganda, wearing masks outside with no one else around them, and refusing to hug one another. Once we get to the island though, things really start to heat up. Daniel Craig is absolutely wonderful as Benoit Blanc once again, as we get all the charm and charisma one would expect, but with an added dose of Blanc’s humanity and personal life. Edward Norton is a total riot as tech billionaire Miles Bron, bringing so much eccentricity and personality to the role. It is Janelle Monáe though who plays Bron’s former partner that gives the film some real depth and her chemistry with the cast and Craig in particular was superb. The rest of the cast is great too, although Kathryn Hahn, Jessica Henwick, and Leslie Odom Jr. feel a bit underdeveloped and sidelined in comparison to the more essential characters. The way Rian Johnson uses the moving camera during sequences in which lights are flashing is brilliant and had me on the edge of my seat during the film’s latter half, truly inventive visual storytelling techniques. I would also like to point out that this movie looks and sounds better than most Netflix produced films, as the set design, cinematography, and soundtrack are all worthy of theatrical ambitions. The second half is nonstop fun with the layers of the mystery unraveling to surprisingly unpredictable outcomes. It’s a bit long and not all of the puzzle pieces fit together cleanly, but the entertainment value alone was enough for me to look past these qualms. This film is funnier than the first, shining a spotlight on Craig, Bautista and the ensemble’s sharp comedic timing. Overall, Glass Onion does what a good sequel should do. By upping the grandiosity, utilizing its luxurious setting, and adding endless twist and turns to the mystery, Glass Onion is a thoroughly entertaining whodunnit that will probably be even more rewarding upon rewatch and further proves that Rian Johnson’s should stay away from Star Wars and stick to fun projects such as this. 🕵️♂️🔍
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