Glass Onion

This movie is a sort of sequel to the very good Knives Out, which introduced Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as a world famous and kinda odd detective. I have watched that film more than a couple of times because it really holds up well to repeat viewings, even knowing whodunnit. Daniel Craig was weirdly perfect for the persnickety Blanc, even doing a bang up American accident and delivering an impassioned donut hole soliloquy that has me in stitches every time.

In the not quite a sequel, Blanc is suffering from not having an interesting case, lazing in his bathtub playing games via zoom and whining. A woman shows up at his house with a mysterious box and off he goes. Four other people have gotten the same box that is a finely crafted and clever set of puzzles that must be solved to reach the prize inside – an invitation to billionaire Miles Bron’s private island for a fun weekend. They’ve all known each other for a long time and each of the others – a senator, a scientist, a social media diva and a social media men’s power preacher – are in the pocket of their friend Miles in some way. He has invited them to the island to solve the mystery of his murder. But there is a real death and Blanc does his thing.

I hadn’t known that the term glass onion is a British colloquialism about monocles, which used to be a symbol of detective story heroes. In the film, it references the huge glass dome on Miles’ island where he houses his most prized possessions. At one point, Blanc gives an impassioned speech about the glass onion as a metaphor, but unlike the donut hole speech it’s just not funny and kinda hangs there. There are a lot of similarities to Knives Out, like having a smallish woman at the center of the story pretty much carrying the film, this time played by Janelle Monáe who really steals the show. There are also the requisite clues to whodunnit, though this time around they are even more impossible to figure out. That means the movie again needs to resort to flashback to truly describe the crime. But instead of a somewhat quick “this is what happened” flashback, in Glass Onion it goes on and on. It could be its own movie, and robs the film of forward movement.

There are some great aspects to Glass Onion, like the opening sequence with the puzzle boxes that deeply and entertainingly introduce all the major players and a mystery within the mystery. I thought it was a very strong opening for a movie that slowly devolves into something very different and slower and impossible to solve. The viewer needs the very long flashback and that’s a shame. It’s also a very pretty movie set on an opulently appointed Greek island and a load of very talented actors. Made during the pandemic, I really loved how the writers used COVID protocols as a great addition to character developments.

One of the differences between this and the first movie was the treatment of the Blanc character and the nature of the movie as a whole. This is not a cozy, but a glittery multilayered mystery that is also a whodunnit. Blanc is suddenly socially inept, more of a buffoon than an eccentric. He is still brilliant and sympathetic to the smallish woman at the center of the story, but I just couldn’t buy him being so different suddenly.

I wrote at the bottom of my notes: How is it on a second viewing? The answer is, I need to give a spoiler warning about answering that. [NOTE: I, CFR, moved the spoiler to the bottom of the post – find it there.]

Unlike its predecessor, Glass Onion is not a movie that is every bit as fun every time you watch it. It has a few strengths, like the acting and the pretty setting. The writing is very uneven, with great character development and some fun mystery work but ultimately fails because the writers don’t give the viewer enough usable clues to try and solve the mystery before the denouement which takes up a third of the film in flashback form. I have mixed feelings about this one. I encourage you to check it out if you liked Knives Out. You may like it more than me. It’s not awful, but it could have been a lot better.

LINKS:

• Glass Onion – One Netflix Official Website
• Glass Onion – IMDB
• Glass Onion – Facebook
• Glass Onion – Twitter
• Glass Onion – Wikipedia

CFR: In Addition

*Giggle* I really liked this movie – more than Mildred it seems. Hubby and I eagerly watched it together, streaming during the pandemic and watched it twice in a row. I really love Craig as Blanc and I ADORE Janelle Monae being such a major powerhouse. I enjoyed everyone’s acting. Maybe the writing and clues weren’t well placed, I was just enjoying myself. I think I might watch it again. 🙂

And now for the:

Spoilers

Blanc, it turns out, is leading the mark without being obvious and it does enhance the film somewhat. Sure, you have to watch that very long flashback again, but it’s well done and gives us a lot of time with one of the actresses so that didn’t bother me as much as I expected.

End Spoiler