Glass Onion (Mini-Review)

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery follows another of Benoit Blanc's adventures. Miles Bron, billionaire co-founder of the company Alpha, has invited his friends and Blanc to yet another gathering. This time it's a murder mystery on a private island. But tensions are quickly revealed between the group. Could one of Miles' friends really have murder on their mind? Glass Onion: A Knives out Mystery was released in 2022 on Netflix. It was directed by Rian Johnson. It stars Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, and Janelle Monáe.

This movie doesn't have a post-credits scene.

I am not good with mysteries but I find myself returning to the genre time and time again. Like with zombies, I don't care for a mystery unless there are interesting characters or a premise. In this movie's case the former attracted me as well as my enjoyment of the original Knives Out. Benoit Blanc is a funny character with interesting quirks. Such as the fact he does horrible with games like Clue and Among Us. Peg, Birdie's assistant, is a caring individual. Even if she continues to pull Birdie out of situations she should have known not to get into. Miles Bron is amusing with how rich and out of touch he is.

Each person on the island has every reason to want Miles dead. Minus Birdie who is...um...just Birdie. Peg doesn't agree with what Miles wants Birdie to do. Andi Brand had a really bad falling out with Miles and the rest of the group. A business decision by Miles could spell disaster for Claire Debella's campaign. Lionel Toussaint has expressed frustration about putting Miles' wild ideas into practice. Duke Cody and Whiskey's relationship is hampered by Miles. Okay, Derol also doesn't have any reason to want Miles dead as the man is not sober enough to form any real thought.

This movie isn't shown chronologically which gives Rian Johnson new ways to surprise viewers. It's at the half-way point we find out what's really going on. The normal way of doing things would be to have the big reveal happen at the end of the movie. While there are twists that aren't revealed until the end, a good bit of revealing happens at the half-way point.

Now some have said that the fact the reveal happens at the half-way point means the first half isn't important. This is wrong. The first hour is needed to establish who is who. The first hour is also needed so there is something to be recontextualized. That's a big word that makes my college tuition mean something. Maybe. Possibly. Anyways...the first hour is far from a waste. Viewers learn about the characters in the first half which is more than important to understanding the ending.

I meant to get this review out sooner but I had to focus on my personal health. From Christmas Eve to writing this review, I have not had a lot of time to rest. Then there's the fact that I am not in the best of health. I could have gotten this review out before Christmas but it wasn't showing in my local movie theater. For those that didn't know: Glass Onion was briefly released in theaters.

I would highly recommend Glass Onion to fans of Knives Out. I would also highly recommend Glass Onion to those looking for a good murder mystery.