GLASS ONION

From the beginning the picture is just slightly off: there are too many celebrity cameos, the actual plot takes an awful long time to get going and when it does, there are not nearly enough surprising twists and turns.

Three years ago Knives Out proved to be the enchanting murder mystery everyone was waiting for. Now detective Benoit Blanc returns in Glass Onion, but alas: lightning doesn't strike twice.

Don't get me wrong, the movie for the most part still is a breezily entertaining affair, this time taking place on the secluded Greek island of a tech billionaire, where a murder partly takes a deadly turn. The central premise easily draws you in, the well-rounded cast is game and Daniel Craig remains a joy to behold in the Blanc role, even if he plays the character a lot more broadly comedic than he did in Knives Out.

And yet, from the beginning the picture is just slightly off: there are too many celebrity cameos, the actual plot takes an awful long time to get going and when it does, there are not nearly enough surprising twists and turns. As the movie progresses character development of the supporting cast is also sadly swept under the mat completely.

But what ultimately lets down Glass Onion is a final act so over the top, campy and lazily written that it shatters all the fun and games that came before.

release: 2022

director: Rian Johnson

starring: Daniel Craig, Janelle Monae, Dave Bautista, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson