Glass Onion solidifies Knives Out as the next great mystery franchise

It only took two movies to establish Daniel Craig's character as one of the great fictional detectives of our time. It is no easy task in a field filled with towering figures. His endearing Southern charm helps set him apart, as do the puzzle box stories he has thrown into, which are not only satisfying mysteries on their own but also hilarious. The cast is more eclectic, the mystery is more complex, and rich assholes are richer and more asshole-y. The second one is a delight. It won't win over new viewers, but it's the thing for fans of the original

Glass Onion is a little more playful than its predecessors. A Mark Zuckerberg-esque tech billionaire named Miles invites his closest friends to a weekend retreat on his private island in Greece. The group includes Duke, an MRA YouTuber and his budding influencer girlfriend Whiskey, as well as the governor of Connecticut, a model, and her more levelheaded assistant. The world's most famous detective is in the film.

What's the theme of the retreat? The guests are invited to a murder mystery party.

The beginning of the film is depressingly boring. He spends his time in the bath playing among us with his celebrity friends. He jumped at the chance when the invitation came in the form of a puzzle box

As you can imagine, the fictional murder eventually becomes a real crime that needs to be solved. There is a lot of mystery. Everyone on the island is connected to each other in important ways, even though they are very different careers. The film makes unpacking it all enjoyable. It is difficult to keep up with the many payoffs in Glass Onion. There is a lot of fun even if you don't care about the end.

The cast of characters make up the majority of the equation. The Thrombey family from the original film doesn't have anything on this group of obscenely wealthy jerks, and each member of the cast is having a great time playing those roles. As an out of touch tech mogul,Norton is punchable. Duke is such an MRA fanatic that he swims with a pistol tucked into his speedos, creating a not-so-subtle phallic connection, while Jay is a perfect example of superficial celebrity culture. It is enjoyable to watch people go through trauma.

Image: Netflix

The real highlight are Craig and Mone. I loved the first Knives Out, but I didn't think Benoit was a good character. At the time, I thought that the highlight of the film was seeing the wealthy family unraveling as the mystery was solved. He needed to become more interesting in order to become a franchise. A warm kind of humbleness and a mixture of confidence has grown on me as a result of the film. His big brain doesn't make him look down on people, and he seems to hold contempt for the 1 percent. I don't care if he sounds like Foghorn Leghorn. Mone shows off an incredible amount of range and helps carry the second half of the film. Watching her work is enjoyable.

Glass Onion doesn't do a lot of new things. It just happens to be a really well-crafted example at a time when there isn't a lot of competition, like the original and many of its cinematic predecessors. It does things that seem like bad ideas. I am more than willing to sit through anything Mr. Blanc has to say, because of the funny writing and wonderful performances. The payoffs are worth the wait.

Glass Onion is one of the most important films for the streaming service. The streaming service has been able to create popular TV franchises, but movies haven't been easy to make. The next best thing was buying a franchise. It might have been a good investment for the company to spend so much money on the sequel to Knives Out. Two movies in, he is off to an excellent start, but it is not known if he will join those rarified heights.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will be in select theaters before it is released on December 23rd. There was a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.