“Glass Onion”: Rian Johnson’s Attempted Poignancy Flattens an Otherwise Percussive Whodunnit

Benoit Blanc returns in a quick paced mystery with an evasive moral voice

Glass Onion, the highly anticipated sequel to Rian Johnson’s 2019 film, Knives Out, is a movie that tries to bite off more than it can chew. Though containing many similarities to other blockbuster social satires, Glass Onion is fundamentally different. The standard of the genre is to remain self-important while only snatching the lowest hanging fruit, and Glass Onion could have easily stood out if it stuck to being an exhilarating murder mystery. However, through its attempted poignancy and inability to remain serious, the screenplay distracts from the film’s good foundation and becomes another vacant addition to the homogenous genre of mainstream social satire. 

Writer and director Rian Johnson needlessly reverts to mindless unprovocative topical digs in nearly every situation, and the screenplay consistently and explicitly reminds us of how stupid the whole matter is, which is insulting to the viewer and undermines the quality of the material. It is on-brand for the Knives Out series to maintain a sense of humor even during the darkest scenes, but Glass Onion’s cheap humor is detrimental to the genuine quality of the movie. The story is enticing and engaging — it is a tightly packed and meticulously crafted mystery that is concisely woven together. Glass Onion ties together all its loose ends in a manner sloppier than Knives Out, but it is still a marvelously structured murder mystery. 

Johnson’s strength proves to be campy whodunnits, not tasteless social satire that relies on blandly skewering contemporary pop-culture and politics. At best, the movie’s commentary comes off as sly finger-wagging and at worst, it is reductive heavy-handed allegories — for example, the Cassandra Brand/Sandra Bland comparisons. Johnson’s weakest skills are distractingly prevalent and Glass Onion’s comic attempts for broad appeal become its Achilles heel. 

In Johnson’s attempts to comment on current events, Glass Onion suffers from the same symptoms that any celebrity-saturated film with attempted poignancy does. Johnson tries to condemn absurd wealth but does not fill that space with real politics, because he would be condemning himself and every other star involved with the production. The thesis of the film should be that class stratification, needless wealth, and capitalism are dangerous. Instead, Glass Onion posits that the ruling class is only harmful when they are stupid and irresponsible with their money. 

Glass Onion is a paradox. It wants to criticize the rich and use comedy to strip down those that abuse their power and wealth. However, if the film presented any substantial class commentary, its criticism would condemn Rian Johnson, and Hollywood as a whole, who are averse to being implicated. Glass Onion exists in a realm of vacant politics that physically cannot support its thesis or it would undermine its larger goal — to boost the ego and increase the wealth of everyone involved. Rich people love to mock themselves but only when it ultimately results in more money and acclaim.  

Beyond its obvious flaws, Glass Onion is a thoroughly engaging film. It excels structurally and does not rely on linear chronology while remaining effortlessly straightforward: a difficult task to achieve. The production design and costumes are impeccable, mirroring the first film, and though the acting is not outstanding, it is perfectly suited for the quality of the film. Janelle Monae’s intense and focused performance stands out among the more leisurely acting from the rest of the cast, playing well with Daniel Craig’s reprisal of detective Benoit Blanc. Unfortunately, Craig’s parodizing of old-school detectives is annoying, and the intention behind this irritating parody does not make the role any less tiresome. 

Glass Onion is entertaining, but its attempted poignancy and underwhelmingly quippy dialogue drag down its entertaining aspects. While aiming for broader appeal, the film flattens itself and becomes too bland and timid to make any real points about anything. Yet this failure does not substantially obstruct it from being a fun, thrilling, and exhilarating mystery. 

OVERALL RATING: 6/10

Glass Onion was released on December 23 and is currently streaming on Netflix.