Dave Bautista and Madelyn Cline star in “Glass Onion.” The film has too many ideas bouncing all over the place when what made the original work so well was the intricacies and the confinement that old fashioned house provided.
Edward Norton, Madelyn Cline and Daniel Craig star in “Glass Onion.” Director Rian Johnson inserts his brilliance and there, but the sequel suffers greatly from excess and a lack of restraint.
Dave Bautista and Madelyn Cline star in “Glass Onion.” The film has too many ideas bouncing all over the place when what made the original work so well was the intricacies and the confinement that old fashioned house provided.
NETLFIX/Courtesy
Edward Norton, Madelyn Cline and Daniel Craig star in “Glass Onion.” Director Rian Johnson inserts his brilliance and there, but the sequel suffers greatly from excess and a lack of restraint.
NETFLIX/Courtesy
“Glass Onion” is the sequel to “Knives Out,” an old fashion murder mystery like “Clue” but told in a creative modern tone.
Between Benoit Blanc and Hercule Poirot, the whodunnit genre is having an influx of sequels. Here’s the thing, from true crime thrillers to murder mysteries, less has almost always proved to be more. Kenneth Branagh’s forgettable “Murder on the Nile” earlier this year was the epitome of over produced, a bloated cast with little to do, and an over reliance on special effects. Rian Johnson’s sequel for Netflix follows up the highly successful “Knives Out”, which earned an Oscar nomination for his ingenious writing. The sequel curse is making everything bigger, and Johnson has been given carte ‘Blanc’. “Knives Out” was an old fashion murder mystery like “Clue” but told in a creative modern tone. “Glass Onion” shares little with its predecessor aside from Blanc. It’s too reliant on special effects, the characters aren’t nearly as well written and Johnson’s creativity is nurtured best with a ceiling.
Five lifelong friends are summoned to their genius billionaire buddy’s yearly get together. Each are sent an elaborate puzzle box with clues as to what to expect on this adventure, which will include a murder mystery. When the famous Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) arrives with the guests in Greece, all wonder if he is part of the festivities laid out by their eccentric host Miles Bron (Edward Norton). The guest no one expected to show up, Andi Brand (Janelle Monae), ex-partner of Bron, alleges he stole the entire idea for their company that has made everyone in this friend circle so rich. With two unexpected guests, in what was supposed to be a fun weekend, events turn ominous, especially when one of the guests end up dead.
As Daniel Craig walks onto the glass onion property, designed by Miles Bron, it’s as if he’s walked on set of another Bond villain compound. Similar to the characters of “Knives Out”, everyone is written to be hilariously unlikeable. The audience is safely on Blanc’s side, as he acts a fool, while carefully studying each of the guests. The script, or the dialogue, is better than what plays out on screen. Both Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista play stereotypes not only of themselves but repurposed characters they have played in other films. Hahn with her sarcastic humor and Odom Jr., fade into the background as less showy characters. The gem here is undoubtedly Monae, like she did in “Moonlight” and “Hidden Figures”, steals the show.
Johnson pens the script in the current era of face coverings, pandemic and the lockdown, in which a hilarious, but brief cameo, rids the characters of their masks. It’s one of the films random, but most well executed moments. This murder mystery plot lacks the sweater surprise of the previous film. It’s supposed to be the journey along the way that’s so enjoyable, regardless of the conclusion, but “Glass Onion” feels lazy and less crafted at times. Too many ideas bouncing all over the place when what made the original work so well was the intricacies and the confinement that old fashion house provided. Sure, Johnson inserts his brilliance and there, but the sequel suffers greatly from excess and a lack of restraint.
Final Thought: Another momentarily entertaining sequel, that suffers from unrestrained excess.
Dustin Chase is a film critic and associate editor with Texas Art & Film, which is based in Galveston. Visit texasartfilm.com.
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