Glass Onion a Knives Out Mystery - spoiler free Review

Greetings everyone,

Last night, I had the chance to watch Glass Onion, a follow-up to the crime thriller Knives Out. To get straight to the point, while I found Knives Out decent, it didn't rock my world. I found it a somewhat predictable whodunit with an underwhelming level of humour, which may merely be reflective of my unique sense of humour.

Glass Onion resonates the same vibe as its predecessor but fear not, I intend to be as vague as possible in my commentary to protect its essence as a whodunit. The lesser you know, the more suspenseful...in theory anyway. The film reintroduces us to the renowned detective Benoit Blanc, who finds himself amid the perplexing dynamics of a wealthy group on an isolated island, as crime inevitably unfolds.

Firstly, it seemed like almost all actors excessively dramatised their characters, occasionally straying into the realm of irritation, especially in the first two-thirds of the film. The character of Benoit Blanc, brought to life by Daniel Craig, seemed to borrow shades from the character of Hercule Poirot, sporting idiosyncratic nuances that I don't recall from his portrayal in the first film.

Among the array of performers, the one who manages to leave a memorable impression with their over-the-top antics is Kate Hudson. She beautifully toes the line between subtlety and drama, crafting a delightful persona that is genuinely amusing. Others, in their attempts at the same, fall short. Catherine Hannah, Edward Norton and even Dave Bautista, didn't manage to extract humour from their performances.

It often feels like the cast were having a better time making it, than I was as a viewer.

However, the film finds a better rhythm in its concluding third. That's when the plot gathers more momentum. Yet, this engaging phase arrives a lot later than expected, diluting the overall impact.

Narratively, the film attempts to keep the audience guessing 'who is the culprit,' but significant parts of the story, that can potentially give away clues, are either deliberately hidden or edited to enhance the mystery. It felt like a cheat on the filmmaker's part, robbing me of a true whodunit experience.

Despite running over two hours, there are glimpses of genuine humour primarily driven by incidental situations rather than the exaggerated performances. From an aesthetic perspective, the film is quite pleasing. The well-directed narrative sprinkled with some smart dialogue makes it an enjoyable watch overall.

To conclude, if you found Knives Out entertaining, Glass Onion won't disappoint you. While it comes with its share of flaws, it certainly makes for a mildly engaging one-time watch. I'll end my review here to avoid revealing too much about the film unintentionally.

peace out.