Where to start with “Knives Out“? Rian Johnson‘s 2019 murder mystery came out of nowhere to win over critics and audiences in the final weeks of that year. Johnson hinted at a sequel during the promotion for that film, but no one expected the director to team up with Netflix for two of them, and for the price of $469 million. And now, sequel #1 is almost here: “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” had its premiere at TIFF earlier this month and premieres on Netflix just in time for Christmas.
Before the film hits Netflix, with a limited theatrical release before then, Johnson introduced a clip from the film at Netflix’s Tudum event to build up hype. In it lies the set-up for the new movie, with the close friends of a tech billionaire solving a puzzle box he sent to each of them, and their prize for succeeding being a trip to his private island in Greece.
The movie sees Daniel Craig reprise his role as Detective Benoit Blanc, but no one else returns from “Knives Out” for the sequel. Instead, it’s an entirely new ensemble that Craig plays off here, led by Ed Norton the billionaire who invites to his private island for another puzzle: to solve the mystery of his murder. Of course, someone actually does get murdered, and Blanc is there to unearth the culprit.
The movie’s cast also includes Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, and Madelyn Cline. Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, and Ethan Hawke round out the main players.
The Playlist’s review called the film “another twisty delight,” (read it here) and other critics agree: this new mystery may be as good, if not better, than the original.
Watch the clip below and mark your calendars: “Glass Onion” premieres on Netflix on December 23.
