Every great detective needs multiple cases to prove themself. In 2019’s “Knives Out,” the greatest detective in the world is Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig), who returns in “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” to solve a murder-mystery-party gone wrong. First premiering on Sept. 10, 2022 at certain film festivals and a short limited stint at theaters, it is now available solely on Netflix since Dec. 23.

   Much like the first movie, “Glass Onion” is focused around a group of rich individuals, with Edward Norton’s character Miles Bron at the center. The high-tech corporation owner Bron invites his inner circle of famous, wealthy influencers and leaders to his private island for a murder mystery weekend. However, the unexpected guest Detective Blanc arrives, ready to find the real potential killer among the ensemble cast including Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista as the frontrunners. 

   True to the typical style of director Rian Johnson, “Glass Onion” is an artistic film. Both the original and sequel first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and the sequel has already been nominated for awards for acting, best screenplay and best costume and production design. It will be included in the 80th Golden Globe awards, having been nominated for Best Motion Picture and Best Actor for Craig in the Musical or Comedy genre.

   The film was very well crafted in every aspect, the visuals in particular. Since it focused on rich individuals, the wealth allowed a lot of fancy props, art and costumes that are appealing to look at. The island scenery was beautifully filmed in Greece, but Bron’s building, aptly named the Glass Onion, had a beautiful construction and was decorated with intricate glass sculptures and famous paintings known even in the real world.

   The ensemble cast was an amusing part of the movie. Not only were the main characters recognizable and beloved, but there were small cameos from other actors both direct and indirect. These cameos include the likes of Jeremy Renner’s face on his fictional hot sauce and Yo-Yo Ma helping to name a classical music piece. With that, the performers obviously did a fantastic job. Unlike some movies, they all looked engaged and truly seemed like their characters, even with dialectical voice changes in the leading actress Janelle Monáe’s characters and Daniel Craig’s thick, overdone-but-fun southern drawl.

   Most importantly, the film’s plot was created precisely, with a healthy mix of comedy and mystery. While some noir and mystery movies’ plot twists can be over-the-top and unbelievable, “Glass Onion” had reasonable but still surprising twists that kept the film from being boring. The writer, also Rian Johnson, and the actors kept the characters’ interactions and actions entertaining in a comedic way, too. Quirky traits like Dave Bautista’s men’s rights activist persona and a couple of running gags show up in serious moments to prevent the movie from becoming stale.

   Both Craig and Johnson have stated that there will be a third installment to the franchise. Since both movies have extremely favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike, the outlook for more sequels is positive. As more movies go into the works, Blanc will hopefully become as well known and loved as the classic detectives like Sherlock Holmes.