Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery  ★★★

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery isn’t quite as good as Rian Johnson’s previous whodunnit, 2019’s Knives Out.

It’s very entertaining and the mystery element is nicely presented, thanks mainly to an extended flashback sequence that enables the audience to re-set and re-evaluate the events up to that time.

But the script has several problems, the main one being that the comedic elements outweigh the dramatic ones’ leading on many occasions to the proceedings lacking a little authenticity.

Secondly, master detective Benoit Blanc repeatedly states the case is the most confounding he has ever faced, yet later talks about the simplicity and unrefined nature of his adversary.

Thirdly, director Johnson, who also co-wrote the film, sets up a bunch of characters with interesting backstories only to leave most of them sketchy and under-developed. The focus of course is on

Daniel Craig’s Blanc, Edward Norton as tech billionaire Miles Bron and Janelle Monae as Bron’s ex-business partner.

But all the supporting cast of characters give way to fashion designer Birdie Jay, albeit played wonderfully by Kate Hudson.

There are plenty of clever one-liners, many taking the mickey out of the lifestyle of the rich and famous, and all the performers, particularly Monae and Hudson, are enjoying themselves.

The other thing that irked me a little is that the character of Blanc is quite different in many respects to the more reserved character in the original film.

Filming took place on the Greek island of Spetses at a place called ‘Aman Resorts’ Villa 20’ in Porto Heli. You can stay there yourself a night if you have a spare few grand lying around.

Netflix holds the film rights to at least one more Knives Out film and both Johnson and Craig have indicated they want to make more.

Despite its problems, Glass Onion is a fun couple of hours and I’m still looking forward to the next one.