I watched Knives Out for the first time this year in anticipation of Glass Onion, and I absolutely loved it. It was easily my favorite mystery story I’ve ever seen. Glass Onion continues the story of Benoit Blanc, played to perfection by former 007 Daniel Craig with a whole new cast of characters surrounding him. Craig is absolutely phenomenal again as Blanc, this time being given more time to expand his character and understand who Benoit Blanc really is. Here we are able to see more of his quirks and personality traits, signaling that this is the Blanc show now.
One of the things I loved about Knives Out was the characters. Each person had a purpose and motives that the actors played out perfectly. The same goes here in Glass Onion. I wasn’t as big of a fan of these characters but each of them is portrayed perfectly by the loaded cast. I especially want to highlight Dave Bautista as director Rian Johnson declared he was the best of the wrestlers-turned-actors (the others being John Cena and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). Bautista, in my eyes, has lapped The Rock comfortably and has a solid lead over Cena (who I really like as Peacemaker). His character is so much fun to watch, even though he’s someone the majority of the internet would hate.
This type of story gets me all the time, where you need to pay attention the entire time to little details in the background so you can try to solve the crime before the movie can. It makes watching the movie great but makes rewatching it even better as you are more aware of what you need to be paying attention to. Also, the cinematography is great, as well as the locations. The camera movement is done so creatively and the island and mansion where the story takes place are stunning.
I promise even with the spoilers label above, I cannot in good faith spoil the plot and the resolution for you. This is a movie you should watch and try to figure out on your own. One thing I loved about this movie is that it took what everyone expected to happen and pointed it out not even an hour into the movie. A billionaire invites his friends for a murder mystery game weekend, but Blanc is accidentally invited. Blanc is able to solve the “game” before it even starts and points out to the billionaire that everyone here has the motive to want him dead. At that point, it left me wondering where the story could go if the characters even know how these types of stories play out. And not too long after the mystery begins, and we have the big twist.
Unlike some internet personalities who will remain unnamed (specifically because I do not respect them), having a big misdirect in a mystery movie is essential. If you can figure out what’s happening halfway through the movie, you have a weak mystery. Like an onion the title is named after, layers get peeled back and we see more details and about what led up to the weekend and everyone’s gathering. Being critical, however, the movie does essentially stop once someone is shot and the next chunk of the movie is just a flashback to the start, just from someone else’s perspective. This chunk takes us right up to the end, so I wasn’t in love with how the story was paced.
Everything I expected coming in was thrown out and I love it when a movie knows it’s doing that. The ending is incredibly satisfying and the reveal of who the real killer was solid, even if it was unsurprising once the story kept playing out. Everyone’s made the connection to who the billionaire resembles in real life, but I found it hilarious how fed-up Blanc gets with how stupid he really is. Like the entire weekend was planned by other, smarter people, and when the billionaire does talk for himself, he constantly says incorrect things, which is how Blanc is able to crack the case in the end.
The ending is definitely satisfying but I felt like it didn’t have that closure like Knives Out did where we see Marta getting comfortable in her new mansion while the selfish family has to walk out with their tail between their legs.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, while I think Knives Out was a masterpiece and slightly above Glass Onion, this is more than a worthy sequel and I truly hope they can keep making more of these movies because I am not done following Benoit Blanc.
