While the first **Knives Out** is undoubtedly more eerie and traditional when viewed alongside other murder mysteries, the modernity (both politically, and just through the characters and humour) is what makes this so dynamic, and so, so, great. Despite the already immense cast in the first production, this time around it still manages to feel so much grander. When actors like Ethan Hawke, Natasha Lyonne and Hugh Grant make mere cameos throughout, it just puts even more excitement into an already electrifying crowd. And each member of that crowd is amazing. The highlighting performances unsurprisingly include Daniel Craig, but Janelle Monet very well might take the cake. She completely surprised me and ended up bringing more to the film than anyone else, way more exuberant than I have ever seen her. Additionally, Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista were both so much fun, Norton was hilarious, and despite not having the largest role Madelyn Cline was really excellent too. The only two that I can't say I was the biggest fan of were Leslie Odom Jr. and Kathryn Hahn. Neither were exceptionally bad or anything, rather just a bit boring with the fact that they were two pretty large roles and not a lot of energy came from either of them. Even though the cast is the main attraction, the editing is also fantastic. Great use of split screens, timeline jumps, and just overall creativity too. All in all, it's one of the most entertaining mysteries in a while, and a new highlight of the year for sure. I am not usually fond of franchises but when Johnson announced during the Q&A that he had the intention on making countless more of these I became quite excited. See this as soon as you can because it is actually brilliant.

_Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery_ is a lighthearted murder mystery filled with effective comedy, fantastic performances, and a somewhat predictable plot. Overall, I had a great time with this film and the theater experience was one of my favorites of the year. The plot is somewhat similar to the first, a murder happens and Benolt Blanc is there to solve it. It hits all the familiar beats but does not work quite as well as its predecessor, this is mainly due to the characters. The performances were great and they work well in isolation from the overarching story, but all of them are such over-the-top caricatures that are hard to believe their connections or motivations to kill. Their banter with each other is charming and funny and helps carry this movie forward. The first quarter of this movie was pretty poorly done. A lot of the setup had pandemic references and humor that felt really out of place in 2022. So many movies before this have touched on those topics that it felt overdone and boring. Really interesting choice for this type of film, but once the characters get to the island all of that awkward setup is left on the mainland and the movie starts to find its footing. From this point forward, I had a great time. Daniel Craig was fantastic as Benolt Blanc and it was quite funny to see him as a fish out of water surrounded by corporate elites. The majority of the lines I laughed at were delivered by him with a dry pan sense of delivery. It was organic and played well on screen. Edward Norton was a fantastic addition and the majority of the cast did excellently. They were really funny and delivered the stereotyped character performances well. Much like the beginning of the movie, the last ten minutes did not work tremendously well for me. It was quite corny, over the top, and unrealistic. It diminishes the greatness of the middle of the film. Even though this movie fails to reach the heights of the original, it does enough to deliver a very entertaining mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. It is a shame that Netflix is only having a limited release for this film because it is best in a crowded theater on the silver screen. **Score:** _77%_ | **Verdict:** _Great_

Daniel Craig rather engagingly reprises his role as the "Poirot"-esque "Benoit Blanc" in this fairly unashamed rip-off of all things Agatha Christie. He finds himself an unexpected guest of billionaire "Bron" (Edward Norton) on his beautiful Greek island, amongst a slew of other notables who - of course - each have an axe to grind with this outwardly affable host. The purpose of the get-together is a traditional murder mystery, and after an hearty dinner, it will fall on the other guests to discover who has murdered "Bron". Well, that's the plan anyway - but of course it doesn't take long for all of that to be derailed and for us to become embroiled in lots of concentric plots and tales of betrayal and duplicity that will truly test the mettle of our sleuth and the audience. The assembled cast provide for a myriad of characterisations and as we discover, an equally fertile source for suspicion and comedy. Kate Hudson is good fun as the nice-but-dim "Birdie"; Dave Bautista keeps more than you'd think is his budgie-smugglers and Jackie Hoffman steals the show in the very few scenes she graces as his non-nonsense mother. The writing delivers a multi-layered feast - some of it basic and bawdy, some more sophisticated as the story gradually progresses towards a conclusion that navigates the red herrings before a denouement that wasn't quite what I was expecting. It looks really good, and it takes a swing at just about everything from corporate greed, vanity, vacuousness and stupidity - but it does it in a satisfyingly subtle fashion. Though rather slow to get off the ground, once it gets up and running it's a good watch.

**Glass Onion lives up to the expectations and spirit established by Knives Out but doesn't bring anything new to a growing franchise.** Glass Onion is a fun follow-up to Knives Out that captures all the character and energy of its predecessor. While I enjoyed the original more, Glass Onion was still very entertaining. The powerhouse cast ensured that every character exploded to life through the excellent portrayals of Glass Onion's brilliantly chosen stars. Each role felt tailor-made to the actor cast for it. The group of entitled celebrities felt more wild and uncontrollable than the frustrated family of Knives Out, which raised Glass Onion's peril and unpredictability. Glass Onion brilliantly hid clues throughout the film that reveal the murderer if the audience is paying attention. It's a great whodunit, but I would like more development of Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc. His character didn't get much more backstory or growth over the last film and even felt sidelined for the movie's second half. I wanted just a little more for Blanc, but I look forward to the next installment of this fantasy franchise.

MORE SPOILER-FREE MINI-REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/mini-reviews-2022-edition/ "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery would never disappoint. Rian Johnson succeeds, once again, with his clever, witty humor and continuous entertainment throughout just over two hours of yet another whodunnit classic with tremendous replay value. The central mystery holds countless twists and turns, almost always captivating and amusing. Exceptional performances from a shockingly talented cast - Daniel Craig and Janelle Monáe are the standouts - elevate a screenplay slightly lacking in character depth as well as better control over its clear yet repetitive message concerning opportunism, vanity, and hypocrisy. Original remains supreme, but this sequel deserved a worldwide premiere on the big screen." Rating: B+