Review “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”: A Mystery That Reveals The Obvious Of Our Society

Two years after its first installment, the challenge of making a sequel that remains original and fresh like its predecessor was great, and even more so when the feat of the first generated a contract with Netflix for its creators for the sum of 469 million dollars. So, does "Glass Onion" manage to surpass or equal its predecessor in quality and surprises? The short answer would be both and neither. These are our impressions of "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery".

“Glass Onion” does not take long to present the intentions of its story during its first minutes, since from a varied set of characters it shapes us with different models of authority and power that have a common connection: the eccentric and billionaire Miles Bron. The characters who meet on an island are: Claire Debella, a governor who is running for senator; Lionel Toussaint, a brilliant scientist; Birdie Jay, a model turned fashion designer and Peg, her assistant; Duke Cody, a streamer, and Whiskey, his girlfriend This group has arrived on the island summoned by Bron, who, through an enigma box that is activated by solving puzzles, invites them to a weekend on a private island during the pandemic so that solve their "murder". Johnson's main goal with his story, then, is evidently to parody the hypocrisy and obsession of the rich and powerful, just to appear interesting and relevant to others.

But in the middle of this satire towards the upper class and its eccentricities, detective Benoit Blanc enters, who is invited by surprise to prevent the murder of Miles Bron at the hands of one of the guests at his exclusive party. To this, Cassandra "Andi" Brand, his ex-partner, also attends, which complicates things even more with everyone else thanks to past decisions. And it is in the midst of these tensions that we recognize the intentions of each character. Johnson makes us part of the game, the plot, and the mystery: Who is the murderer and why does he want Miles dead?

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The Structure Of A Glass Onion

And it is thanks to the conversations, interactions, events, and places on the site that we are understanding the truth of each character in front of the eyes of Benoit Blanc. With subtlety and style, the fragility of the ego and the lack of character of the group is revealed, but as the film itself presents it to us, we already knew this beforehand.

The “crystal onion” not only becomes the title and the name of the place of events, but it also becomes a metaphor for the layers of society that in an attempt at glamor and power hide their intentions in plain sight. Even though all the elements are presented to us in an obvious way, we prefer to look elsewhere.

However, this same structure to narrate the story could be indicated as a copy of the original by taking several points in common such as the invitation to the site, the jump between perspectives and temporal events, the discovery of the murderer, and the confrontation of versions. . But the trick (or the mystery) is not in the who, the why or the how: it is in how he plays with the elements to understand the satire that is made against excessive power, the value of truth in turbulent and violent times and, above all, the evolution and revelation of the potential of each person in the face of catastrophe.

In other words, this second installment of “Knives Out” is different enough from its predecessor that it not only feels entertaining in its teasing, captivating in its mystery, and obvious in its telling, but also maintains the freshness that identifies Knives Out. any detective and murder story. This serves, then, not only as a tribute (like its predecessor) but also as a testament to how captivating hidden mysteries can be.

"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" is available on Netflix.