Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is an enticing film that has been the most watched movie on Netflix for the second week in a row. The sequel to the 2019 film Knives Out follows a group of eight friends vacationing on a private island in Greece. The island is owned by Miles Bron, a tech billionaire and businessman. Bron planned a thrilling murder mystery for his friends to solve during their time on the island. However, what began as a peaceful getaway from the pandemic takes a turn for the worse when the characters’ secrets are revealed and the pretend murder mystery becomes a reality. Director Rian Johnson proves that nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted in this thrilling dark comedy.

HHS students have lots to say about this film, one being senior Jake Robbins who explains, 

“I thought it was an enticing mystery that expanded nicely on the world of Benoit Blanc as set up in the original Knives Out. The cast was pretty good, but Daniel Craig, Janelle Monáe, and Kate Hudson were the stand outs. I loved the idea of the Glass Onion with the mystery having so many layers/twists, yet the answer was always right in plain sight. There was great payoff at the end with one of the most ludicrous destruction scenes I’ve ever seen. Overall it was a great film that was able to match the original in quality and has me excited to see the next mystery unfold.” 

As mentioned by Jake, the movie has a spectacular cast with stellar performances by Daniel Craig playing detective Benoit Blanc, Kate Hudson as Birdie Jay, Edward Norton as Miles Bron, Janelle Monáe as Andi, and many more. This film was named one of the best of 2022 by the National Board of Review and has received two Golden Globe Nominations thus far. 

One unique characteristic about this film is its title’s double meaning. First, it signifies the literal glass onion Bron had built on his private island serving as his office and sleeping quarters. Second, it signifies the plot of the movie, as summed up by Benoit Blanc in the film:

“Well, I keep returning in my mind to the glass onion. Something that seems densely layered, mysterious and inscrutable. But in fact, the centre is in plain sight. And that is why this case has confounded me like no other. Why every complex layer peeled back has revealed another layer, and another layer, and come to naught. And that was the problem right there. You see, I expected complexity. I expected intelligence. I expected a puzzle, a game. But that’s not what any of this is. It hides not behind complexity, but behind mind-numbing, obvious clarity. Truth is, it doesn’t hide at all. I was staring right at it.”

Blanc uses the glass onion to mirror the blatant obviousness of the case he is dealing with in this movie. A glass onion may seem complicated, but the answer was staring Blanc in the face, like the center of a transparent onion. 

Despite the many positive reviews this movie has received, senior Samantha Harris shares, “I know a lot of people who liked the first movie better.” Senior Gabe Wagner adds, “I was really excited for the Glass Onion movie because Knives Out was super entertaining. But, I wish they showed more action on screen before revealing the evidence because I wanted a chance to try and guess the killer for myself. Overall I would recommend this movie but nothing beats Knives Out.” Many students share this opinion and think that the plot of Glass Onion lacks the complexity of its predecessor. Regardless, the movie has done well and will likely continue to do so in coming weeks.