2019’s Knives Out was arguably the best contemporary murder mystery film made, garnering loads of acclaim from both casual viewers and critics. Because of this incredible success, a sequel was pretty much inevitable, ultimately materializing in 2022’s Glass Onion. Though it’s not a direct sequel, rather just a second installment in the “Detective Benoit Blanc” series, Glass Onion reaches nearly the same heights as its predecessor.

Glass Onion is a murder mystery film starring Daniel Craig, Janelle Monáe, Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, and Madelyn Cline. The plot centers around detective Benoit Blanc, played by Craig, being invited to a private island for a fun murder mystery game where the host, Miles Bron, played by Norton, is “killed” at dinner and everyone has to find out who did it. I can’t explain the story much more without spoiling it, but what I can say is that the game takes a darker turn as more is revealed about each character, making it no longer just a game.

Going into Glass Onion, I was slightly worried that it would be too similar to Knives Out, particularly in the set up and the surprises. After watching, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it varies greatly from its predecessor in both build and execution. While Knives Out was structured much more like a classic murder mystery, Glass Onion takes a more unique approach to the genre. Knives Out builds the story as it goes along, but with Glass Onion, the whole story is already there, you just have to peel back all the layers to find the answer.

I don’t have too many criticisms about Glass Onion, in fact I have no problems with the plot at all, as I couldn’t find any plot holes and I think the whole story is structured beautifully. The only thing that puts Glass Onion as slightly lower than Knives Out for me is that Knives Out feels like it could end up being a timeless classic, while Glass Onion, at least in the smaller details, feels much more of its time. Without spoiling the story, all I can say about this criticism is that if I were to show Glass Onion to someone born ten years from now, there would need to be some context to fully understand the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed Glass Onion, and I think it’s one of the best new movies I’ve seen. I really enjoyed all the twists and turns, I felt it could stand alone from its predecessor, and overall it’s just an enjoyable movie to watch. I have some small criticisms, but those are mainly overshadowed by the great writing. I give Glass Onion a 9/10.