Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

A stylish whodunit mystery genre film, which is an order of magnitude better than those unwatchable Poirot chick flicks. I slept through the first one in the cinema, so I wasn't too interested, this was a bit more entertaining, but still not my cup of tea. Rian Johnson never deserves 4 stars from me. What I liked most was the attractive setting of the island itself, which looks nice, it's all fancy and I dig that. Of the actors, Daniel Craig again reigns supreme, and Janelle Monáe, for whom I have a soft spot, is likeable. I was expecting comic relief from Dave Bautista, unfortunately that didn't happen and Edward Norton is just alright. It's nicely filmed, well acted and the mystery itself seems intelligent, though this time I found it too predictable (the ending of the first part was better). I didn't find it very funny, there are no gags and the 140-minute running time is unnecessarily long, considering it is just a conversation piece. I got through it without much distress, which is appreciated given the genre. There's nothing like Korean and Nordic mysteries. 65% (12/25/2022)

I didn't appreciate the first film until a second viewing, but Glass Onion won me over almost immediately. It's as if Rian Johnson needed Knives Out mainly to present Benoit Blanc in a somewhat more classic story, and once he succeeded with that, he could go all in. Yes, the plot is reliably well known to fans of whodunits, but the way the script plays with it this time is much more refined. From the beginning there is something different, but you don’t know what. The more or less likeable characters do weird things, but you don’t know why, and there are some celebrity cameos. And then, the first half the film goes by and there's an absolutely amazing twist that turns almost everything upside down, and the fun can continue in an even wilder vein until the explosive finale. The direction, the script, the actors, the music, really, everything is impeccable. And Daniel Craig, he’s just flawless. You'll enjoy his every gesture, every line, and after one of the funniest monologues I've heard at the end of a whodunit, you'll want to read "Benoit Blanc will return" at the end of the credits. (12/25/2022)

Daniel Craig does a credible job, his detective character fits him like a tailored suit, and he enjoys playing that character to the maximum delight of the viewer. The costumes and the interiors and exteriors in the second Knives Out adventure are also great. The other characters arouse the viewers’ interest in unravelling the mystery and, mainly, revealing their true relationship with their host, a billionaire played by Edward Norton. However, the denouement is in no way surprising or clever, which makes the film merely a pleasant, colorful diversion with a refined style. (04/03/2023)

Rian Johnson plays with genre expectations in Glass Onion the same way he did in the first film, while staying true to classic whodunnit stories. If I were to take away the criticisms right from the start, I would have shortened the film, especially in the more drawn-out intro (which actually nicely parodied various CSIs and degraded the search for clues), and also the conclusion, which felt too drawn out after the culprit was revealed. The investigation itself, on the other hand (including the crucial flashback and starting with the wonderfully staged pre-murder sequence), completely captivated me and kept my (rusty) grey brain cells busy until the final denouement. Even in his second whodunit, which, among other things, shamelessly flatters Knox's Rule #10, Johnson certainly doesn't lose his breath, offering another suspenseful and unpredictable crime story with plenty of imaginative moments (whether it was the "casting" of Angela Lansbury, the character of Derola, Da Vinci's masterpiece or the ubiquitous gong). (12/31/2022)

I thoroughly enjoyed the first Knives Out because of the well-written story, great atmosphere, and Ana de Armas. This time, however, I was mainly faced with excessive running time, long, unnecessary explanations, and left-wing propaganda (and I'm not exactly wealthy capitalist myself). Plus, the finale played into the hands of all those crazy activists smearing mashed potatoes on works of art in galleries. This activity will soon solve all our planet's environmental problems. The main problem with the film was that it contained occasional moments that amused me, but desperately few for a movie with a running time longer than two hours. I'm not sure if Daniel Craig and Edward Norton portrayed characters influenced by COVID so well or if they were just tired. Most of the characters (if not all) lacked depth; the plot was sometimes boring and occasionally even irritating, so I'm obviously not impressed. / Lesson learned: An idiot in charge is not an unusual phenomenon. 3*-. (01/17/2023)