Rian Johnson’s Knives Out sequel Glass Onion is like a Star Wars film. Not the good ones like A New Hope or The Empire Strikes Back or even the absurd Attack of the Clones, but the forgettable one that Johnson directed: The Last Jedi. That film contains no “ah ha” moments that stick out in your head like “Obi-Wan you’re my only hope” or the frequently misquoted “Luke, I am your father” or for the real heads, “I don't like sand” because it's subpar. Johnson can’t help but continue this motif with Glass Onion. The campy Agatha Christie murder-mystery tropes that made Knives Out famous remain, but the star power and cornucopia of obvious pop culture references feel both rushed and resigned. With its big budget and flashy production, you would think that Glass Onion would be better or at least more fun than its predecessor, but it turns out to be just another cog in the wheel.
Set in April of 2020 during the early days of the pandemic, we meet our cast of characters in various corners of the United States. These 21st century twitter-verse archetypes include: Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) a Twitch streaming NRA loving gunslinger, Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr.) a GQ adorned STEM scientist, Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn) a frumpled WFH governor, and Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) a politically incorrect fashion designer. This bizarre cast of characters are known as “the disrupters” for whatever reason and their ringleader, Miles Braun (Edward Norton), the billionaire co-founder of a company called Alpha, who owns a private island in Greece, invites them over for a murder-mystery themed weekend. The world-renowned southern dandy detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) of Knives Out fame shows up in true Columbo fashion as does fellow co-founder, former “disruptor,” and ousted Alpha CEO Cassandra "Andi" Brand (Janelle Monáe), much to everyone’s chagrin. As you can imagine, all Hell breaks loose, but Blanc is on the case.
I’m not even going to bother with the murder-mystery, just know that the writings on the wall. We’re not watching Endeavour Morse on Masterpiece Mystery or The White Lotus, where potential suspects are sprinkled with nuance and hidden motives. Just like Star Wars, It’s obvious who’s corrupt and who has a heart of gold. Blanc provides endless exposition that points you in the right direction if you pay attention, but if that’s too much to ask, look closely at Johnson’s relentless Easter Eggs. During one flashback, the disrupters are gathered at their favorite bar, the “Glass Onion,” where everyone is dressed in specific 90s attire. Miles is the cringiest in his tight coffee-colored button down, black leather vest with matching bangles, and a short pulled back man bob. This pickup artist attire screams “douchebag,” but it’s more specific than that. Miles is dressed exactly like Tom Cruise in Magnolia. In the next shot, Miles' hair is parted neatly to the side and he’s dressed in a black crew neck that looks eerily similar to a black turtleneck that’s balanced with a pair of Levi's 501s.. Maybe there are some gray New Balances lurking beneath? According to Johnson, Norton is playing Miles straight, but consider Norton within the context of his career. Who does he usually get typecast as when he’s not playing an anomaly like the deadpan Scout Master Ward? Resentful creepers!
Knives Out was largely successful because it was refreshing. Stars like Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Collette were incredibly theatrical. They created small worlds within their characters that people easily understood as campy caricatures of old money. The self-contained narrative structure worked as a chamber piece and allowed the impressive ensemble to bounce off not only the walls of that creepy mansion-on-a-hill but each other with their witty dialogue, giving us a break from the Marvel-esque CGI spectacle that’s become all too common at the box office. Glass Onion, on the other hand, is sprawling in terms of casting and tone. Cameos are aplenty but nonsensical. Why is Steven Sondheim in this? Or Ethan Hawke? And HUGH GRANT? All of these heavily lauded individuals distract us from the poor writing and B-Team cast. Actors like Hahn and Odom Jr. suffer because their characters are treated as rushed afterthoughts that we can easily skip over. Their designated roles read as stunted social media bots rather than caricatures. Monáe and Hudson, who is basically playing a version of the mother Goldie Hawn, as well as Craig, give us a little something, but Glass Onion makes me wonder if Knives Out was the exception rather than the rule.
Johnson has found his niche amongst liberal infographic blaring millennials, and this shows in Glass Onion with its cringeworthy didacticism. One of the biggest messages of the film is that rich people are bad and stupid. You can boil it down simply enough. Elon Musk? Evil. Jeff Bezos? Die. Apparently, Glass Onion is a “bit of a primal scream against the carnival-like idiocy of the past six years,” and that checks. During a Christmas time viewing with my parents, my Mom blurted out “this is a movie about Trump,” I shushed her because that hot take is so unoriginal at this point, but later regretted it because I knew she was right. (Sorry Mom). Blanc expresses these anti-Trump shenanigans early in the film. He says “It’s a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought with speaking the truth.” This is the best part of the film, but Johnson is more or less preaching to the choir. We all know this, so there’s no need to reinforce this premise ad nauseam. It’s not witty or inspiring, it’s bland. Maybe it’s better if Glass Onion enters the ether.
Wow I’m so happy I read before watching!! As soon as I finished Knives Out I wanted more so now I know what I’m getting into… still have to watch for Janelle. Thanks Clara!! G
Thank you for a sane review of a deeply disappointing sequel to an intelligent and entertaining film.