Netflix’s productive bulimia is not just market-related, but has creative consequences that have been obvious for years and can be summarized as an “excess in pomp” rather than an excess supply. Netflix movies are often not necessary rich, and it is rare for directors to be able manage this wealth while still adhering to the strict editorial guidelines of the platform.
Glass Onion is the sequel to Knives Out of 2019. It is an emblematic film. The film is a glowing phantasmagoria, in which yellow is just one of many ingredients. The film’s progenitor was an “imaginary economist”, meaning that most of the production value was derived from the emotions the film could evoke, such as certain board games like “Cluedo” and “Wolves and Farmers” rather than what it actually showed. This is a bit like how certain romantic Christmas comedies use the Christmas atmosphere to their advantage.
Since 2020, there has been an incredible industrial panic surrounding this sequel: Netflix paid 469 million (yes, you read correctly) to acquire the rights to two sequels, 100 million each for Rian Johnson (the protagonist Daniel Craig) and Ram Bergman (the producer). They promised to invest at most the original film’s budget (40 million) in each sequel, even though it is obvious, at first glance that Glass Onion has cost more.
This is the paradox Glass Onion review.
A film with similar economic premises to a superhero franchise generates a huge creative approach in everyone. It’s as if “more”, was not only better, but also strictly necessary.
These premises are obvious everywhere, and even in the original idea of Edward Norton (multimillionaire) who invites his friends to his island to discuss his new corporate project. It is a mysterious source for energy that is based on hydrogen and extracted from the sea. We will see that all four of them have reasons to hate him, but also to keep him alive. They also bring Benoit Blanc (Craig), a detective who is well-known for his strong southern accent. It is not known by whom he was invited.
Comparable to Dinner with Murder the tone is less comical and the setting loses its real appeal. The glass onion in the title is literally created on top of a huge villa in the Aegean, where Norton lives, and from which he transmits your orders via an old fax.
Glass Onion is not evocative. It’s a display of production assets that includes many prominent cameos (from Ethan Hawke, Hugh Grant, and Serena Williams) as well as impressive set designs. This is a show of force, not subtlety. That should be the nature and purpose of a whodunit. The yellow comedy is now a comic fantasy. The budget explodes rather than making ends meet.
Knives Out 2 is not a terrible movie. It has its moments, and two great actors like Norton and Craig who ensure a lot of smiles. It’s too boring, the excesses are excessive and the mystery is predictable.
