Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story (2022)

Rian Johnson’s eagerly awaited sequel to his hugely enjoyable 2019 murder mystery Knives Out had arrived on Netflix just in time for Christmas; one assumes the idea was that the whole family sits down together over Christmas and enjoys a good old whodunit whilst eating and drinking far too much. The set up here is that billionaire Miles (Ed Norton) has invited friends to his private Greek Island for a birthday party, a party in which they will have to solve his murder that he has meticulously planned and spared no cost on the gag either. Amongst the guest are Dave Bautista, Janelle Monae, Kate Hudson (who attempts to steal the film in a wonderful performance) and Kathryn Hahn, amongst others. Also arriving on the island having received an invitation is legendary detective Benoit Blanc, once again played with absolute relish by Daniel Craig, so much so that you genuinely forget it's James Bond on the screen. The first half of Glass Onion is superb, Johnson meticulously throws everything that was good about the first film into setting up a truly exciting and amusing story; and at the halfway point something happens that really throws the viewer, leaving you with no clue as to who is doing what and why. Imagine the disappointment then, when said incident that so thrillingly offers up a truly interesting second half, is immediately reversed; so much so that this viewer instantly saw where the film was going, and grew more and more disillusioned as film hurtled towards a finale that can be seen a mile off after the halfway mark. The actors have a blast, and there’s no doubt Johnson should be able to make films in the Blanc universe again- the first half of Glass Onion alone proves how good he can be in the murder mystery arena, but Act Two of this play is a real let down. 5.0/10