Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a sequel to 2019’s Knives Out (my favorite film that was released that year). The film boasts a brilliant engaging screenplay that may not be as sharp as its predecessor, but does have enough layers to appreciate; the twists mingled among the well-timed editing and led by Daniel Craig’s charming charisma make Glass Onion a sequel worth watching.

Miles Bron (Edward Norton) hosts a murder mystery party for his friends on his private island (which he calls “Glass Onion”) and through a series of unusual events, Detective Benoit Blanc (reprised by Daniel Craig) also attends what appears to be nothing more than an entertaining Clue-esque “who-dun-it” party. When someone at the party actually meets their demise, it is up to our detective to solve this puzzling mystery.

The first Knives Out is not required to be seen before viewing this picture; however, I would recommend the first film over this sequel but both are worth seeing and, despite featuring detective Benoit Blanc, both have mysteries that are independent and separate from each other.

Rian Johnson is great at penning a variety of characters that clash and mesh well with each other for the purposes of entertainment. Daniel Craig and that accent never gets boring to listen to. The film does have “that scene” where he gets to pull the curtain back and unveil truths no one, including the audience, would have been able to guess and the scene takes place at a very unexpected time. Additionally, Edward Norton has great appeal and his character’s unorthodox bold personality has the audience uncertain what his motivations may be. Janelle Monáe plays Andi, who the others seem surprised that she was invited to the party; she does not do much for the first half of the film but once you learn why her character exists, Monáe is able to do much more with the character that is note-worthy.

Not only did Rian Johnson desire to work with Craig again on this picture, but he also seems to have pulled most of the same creative team from the first Knives Out; Nathan Johnson reprises his role as the mastermind behind the film’s music, Bob Ducsay returns to the Editing Chair, and Steve Yedlin handles the film’s cinematography. Despite the film’s differences, you can tell there is a wonderful cohesiveness that the team put together; Nathan Johnson has newly scored music but it still ties and contains progressions that are subtlety reminiscent of the music heard within the first Knives Out. Ducsay, particularly during the “reveal scene” where Blanc tells us what is actually happening, utilizes spot-on precise editing that shows us a great glimpse at what has happened leading up to climax. Yedlin makes Glass Onion feels grand similar to the first one but not in the exact same way; they each have a unique different atmosphere. Whereas with the first Knives Out, the story takes place primarily in an old vintage house, this story takes place in a modern futuristic vacation home made of glass. Although both sets are admirable, I favored the look of the first Knives Out due to the vintage vibe which featured darker and more saturated colors. But once again, with attempting to convey a different story, Yedlin does produce a visually pleasing picture.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is worth seeing in a theater, with an audience. It has an array of moments that will make you gasp, laugh, and hold you in suspense as to what the next scene will deliver. Netflix has this title playing in theaters exclusively in theaters for 1 week from November 23rd until the 29th before hitting the streaming service December 23rd.