Greetings again from the darkness. Of course we do get a murder mystery (maybe even more than one!), yet the real case study may be in how the billionaire tech mogul celebrated for his business savvy and creative genius is actually an egotistical putz who stole one brilliant idea from his former partner. Another mystery is what to say about writer-director Rian Johnson's (STAR WARS VIII - THE LAST JEDI, 2017) follow up to his superb first KNIVES OUT (2019), without giving away too much. Clearly, Johnson went all-in for the entertainment factor, and it's a sure bet that most will find a good amount of joy watching this.

The traditional introduction of characters and suspects is handled through the arrival of seemingly impenetrable wooden boxes delivered to the five friends of the above-referenced billionaire Miles Bron (an overly-hyped Edward Norton). Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) is a former model clueless to the ways of 'woke' society, blocked from social media by her assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick). Duke Cody (Dave Bautista) is a pistol-packing testosterone-fueled Twitch influencer who hangs with his girlfriend Whiskey (Madeline Kline). Claire Debella (an underutilized Kathryn Hahn) is a regretfully-for-sale ambitious politician. Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr) is the genius tech inventor who receives middle-of-the-night faxes from Miles. Lastly, a terrific Janelle Monae plays the former business partner outmaneuvered in a dirty way by Miles.

Each friend solves the intricate puzzles required to open the box, it's Duke's ma (Jackie Hoffman) who excels as a puzzle whiz in the most comical manner ... well, maybe not as funny as Janelle Monae's approach. While all the puzzle-solving is occurring, we see super sleuth Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) soaking in his bathtub, wishing for a stimulating case as he Zoom calls with his friends - including Stephen Sondheim, Angela Lansbury, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. This is the first of many high-profile cameos sprinkled throughout, including Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant, Serena Williams, Natasha Lyonne, and Yo-Yo Ma.

Discovered inside the wooden box is an invitation to a Murder Mystery party at Miles' lavish private Greek island resort. When they arrive, Miles is baffled by Benoit's admission that he had received an invitation, as only five were sent. The five friends are referred to as "disruptors", and though each has been the recipient of Miles' funding, they also have their own reasons for revenge ... these reasons venomously pointed out by Ms. Monae's character as they lounge around the pool.

Benoit Blanc spoils the murder-mystery party Miles has planned almost before it starts, however, a real murder kicks things into frenetic gear. A humorous complement to Benoit Blanc's saucy southern accent is Miles' world-class word butchering - constantly mispronouncing words, making them up, or using them incorrectly (each to the annoyance of Benoit). The overuse of "buttress" is quite the gag, as is the famous portrait hanging in the main hall, and the consumption of caviar. Another ongoing joke is Benoit Blanc's annoyance at the game of "Clue", which he terms "a terrible game." Despite the many red herrings, McGuffins, and misdirections, we realize what suffers is the actual murder investigation. It's no surprise that the rich and famous aren't upstanding citizens, and we see they don't even make good friends. While the first KNIVES OUT movie focused on the fight for the generational money of Christopher Plummer, director Johnson has this time opted for jabs (stops short of satire) at the nouveau-rich, who are portrayed as entitled, spoiled, and out-of-touch. Johnson made a conscious decision to focus on the comical aspects of society and these characters, and the result is entertainment that feels good in the moment, but leaves us wanting a bit more substance. Still, "Knives Out 3" is expected in a couple of years and we look forward to an even different approach.

Opens in theaters on November 23, 2022 and begins streaming on Netflix December 23, 2022.

Glass Onion further proves Rian Johnson's impressive credentials, matching it's phenomenal predecessor in it's quality delivering an equally strong sequel that tells an equally complex, funny and endlessly unpredictable narrative that's designed for multiple viewings and is easily the best film to be set during the pandemic.

Daniel Craig is perfect as Benoit Blanc, bringing back that beautiful accent and all the humour whilst still reminding us that he's a truly good person. Janelle Monáe is the best out of the new cast, she shows so much range and makes for a great double act with Craig.

The rest of the cast are all really good at making their characters unlikeable and easy to laugh at but the strongest is Edward Norton whose clueless billionaire tech giant feels like a perfect and deliberate contrast to his iconic Fight Club character.

Rian Johnson's direction is excellent, the film surprisingly has a high amount of energy in its constant camera movements and is really good emphasising it's star power through framing. The music by Nathan Johnson is also really good, with an eccentric bombast rarely heard these days.

Glass Onion is a side-quel to the awesome mystery Knives Out. I found it to be super clever and highly entertaining. It has so many cool ideas. The comedy is a huge step up from the original. I full-volume laughed numerous times, as did my audience.

I was fully intrigued and invested throughout. It's a great cast, especially the last actor to show up. I won't say who in case you don't know so you'll be as surprised as I was. But it's the return to prominence of one of my favorite actors, and he clearly shows that he still has it.

The strongest aspect is the story and, of course, the mystery. The one thing that held back the original for me is that I was able to predict most of it. Glass Onion was fully unpredictable and had me constantly guessing. And it benefits greatly from how the story is told nonlinearly. It wouldn't have been nearly as impactful if told in chronological order.

I was ready to proclaim this better than the first and one of my favorite movies of the year. This has never happened to me before. I loved everything from the start to the setup all the way to the reveal. But I strongly disliked everything after. I found it extremely hard to believe and extra cheesy. It left me with a bad taste.

I still feel like the majority of the movie is so good that it makes it worth watching. And I hope that the conclusion is more palatable on second viewing. But it holds it back from being amazing. (1 viewing, opening Thursday 11/24/2022)