Another adventure takes everyone into solving a new murder case with Detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery where a new group requires his expertise to find out who among them is the culprit. Here's our review whether the sequel is worth watching! Check it out!
Warning: This review may contain spoilers for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Read at your own risk!
Is Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Worth Watching?
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery takes everyone into a new murder mystery headed by Detective Benoit Blanc following the captivating Knives Out released a few years back, and this time, only Detective Benoit Blanc returns for the sequel.
A new adventure awaits Detective Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery as he takes on a new case with Miles Bron, a tech billionaire, in a murder mystery in a private island where all his friends have gathered for a party that will forever change everyone's perspective.
The narrative proves to be baffling, who killed who? It starts with Miles Bron sending out invites to his friends through an intricate box containing their envelopes or passes to the trip. Of course, the puzzles are to be solved and these aren't to be watched plainly.
See, the box, itself, is puzzling enough but each of the problems to be solved there offers clues on who lives or who dies in the end. The answers are staring at everyone's faces from the start. It's a clever yet hilarious way that Rian Johnson put to start off the film.
Then, there's the mystery of who gets to the trip. Miles Bron sent invitations to Andi Brand, Claire Debella, Lionel Toussaint, Birdie Jay and her assistant Peg, and Duke Cody and his girlfriend, Whiskey. Surprisingly, a box arrives for Benoit Blanc.
It's actually not surprising that it isn't Miles Bron who sent Benoit Blanc the box which was later revealed to be a reconstructed box from Andi, and early on, that, itself, shows that Miles Bron isn't as clever or as intelligent as the others think of him because really, how would any other person get an invite you didn't send?
The personalities of each of the invited also prove to play a huge part in their participation. Andi Brand is Miles' partner in Alpha, Lionel is their brilliant scientist, Claire is a politician with great ambitions, Duke is a streamer online, and Birdie Jay is a supermodel and fashion designer who isn't that bright.
All of them needed Miles so they stick up with him. Claire needs Miles to fund her campaign, Lionel needs his work at Alpha, Duke was set up to be famous online through Miles' help, and Birdie got her own clothing line through Miles. Meanwhile, Peg works for Birdie, and Whiskey wants to have her platform, thus, sticking up with Duke.
Their personalities make up a good narrative, leaving Detective Benoit Blanc in the middle of stark contrast in the middle of the pandemic. Speaking of which, the time setting of the film is in the middle of the pandemic, thus, they still wore masks at first, a clever way to inculcate current events in the movie.
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The narrative leaves everyone scratching their heads at first because Miles Bron had set up his own murder mystery, one Benoit Blanc immediately rained on and answered in a split second, leaving them with question marks on their heads as to who he really is.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was told in medias res, as many would call it in technical terms. It starts in the middle because a long back story turns up in the middle and that is only when the real mystery comes in, a clever way, again, by Rian Johnson in telling the story.
The twist of Janelle Monáe playing her twin sister is quite a classic but the actress delivered both roles so well. The real murder mystery isn't that of the made-up one by Miles nor that of Duke, but actually that of Andi Brand that her twin sister, Helen, had to lean on Benoit Blanc's expertise.
From then on, it was all clear who the real murderer is in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery -- Miles Bron, and while he tries to keep the eyes away from him, the fact on his motives couldn't be discounted. He has all the reasons to kill Andi, even Duke, and he got everyone wrapped around his finger.
That motive of Miles Bron is very human: he fears falling down from his own friends whom he all tried to win over. His start with the team was rocky but when he got all the money, he got his friends as his pawns -- everyone except Andi. When Duke found out about the truth, Miles immediately kills him.
While all that is a wondrous display of a mystery, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery seems to have Benoit Blanc as a side character rather than being the lead when he should've been the center of all of it. The spotlight has been earned well by Janelle Monáe and clearly, she owned the sequel.
While Benoit Blanc remains to be the brains of the plans, it is Janelle Monáe's character, Helen, that made it all work out in the end by taking down Miles Bron with everything she can. Blanc just helped her realize what she could do, and the Mona Lisa twist was quite a hilarious one, too.
Miles Bron looking superior is quite close to the reality of powerful people having a lot of "friends" around them when actually, the others are just there because they need something from him -- the very essence of human survival that one would be willing to betray others in exchange for more personal agendas.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery seemed quite satirical in this part, where the politics of life steps in and the rich gets a lot because they can literally buy anything, including people's loyalty.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery boasts a huge cast and Janelle Monáe really stood out among all of them with her performance. Daniel Craig remains the same, although funnier this time. Edward Norton showed a wide variety of emotions and perfectly played the part.
Kathryn Hahn remains stellar in her performance while just being on the side, Leslie Odom Jr. still has that mystery on his character like other roles he played in the past, Kate Hudson perfectly delivered her role but honestly, hers is quite stereotypical as the blonde with no brains.
Madelyn Cline may be quite young but she doesn't let her age be a hindrance to playing a role amongst veterans, Jessica Henwick is quite a good addition but her role makes her a shadow of Birdie, and Dave Bautista literally rocked his role.
Getting into the technicalities of the movie, the costume design is perfect for every character. Each of their personalities are carefully reflected by what they wear. Detective Benoit Blanc's scarf makes his character stand out and gives him an iconic look. Helen wears professional clothes, mirroring her ominous character.
Miles Bron wearing comfortable outfits shows how laid back he is in his wealth and his thirst for more, Birdie Jay's elaborate dresses show that she is a fashionista and her mask being a net is a hilarious take on her brain's capacity, and Claire's outfits surely make her a politician, not too flashy, respectable.
Lionel's suits reflect how bright he is as a scientist, Duke's outfits show off his line of being an influencer and he stays on what makes his features stand out, Peg's looks is usual for an assistant as she doesn't overshadow Birdie, and Whiskey's is a clear reflection of women being used by men for personal matters even when she is more than just a thing.
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The place where Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is set stuns everyone with how lavish the whole place is with what seems like a castle in the middle and having a glass onion dome on top of it. The presence of the Mona Lisa is a great addition to reflect how wealthy Miles Bron is.
The island is also perfect since the time setting of the film is in the middle of a pandemic, thus, having people around could mean the possibility of having an illness and with an island all to themselves, having to go through something like a vaccine at first, portrays the reality of meeting people during the pandemic.
The editing and cinematography of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery also proved to be a great part of the movie as every scene is well though of, well panned out, and well edited to portray the narrative they want the people to see.
With a Knives Out 3 under development, a new murder mystery is expected since the first two movies have different stories and Benoit Blanc remains to be the one solving it.
So, is Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery worth watching? Absolutely! While it is quite long and could have been shortened, the way Rian Johnson puts it makes everyone curious at first, only to find out the truth in the middle and see how it all blows up in the end.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is currently streaming on Netflix.