This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
jenna’s review published on Letterboxd:
This review may contain spoilers.
A special theater experience that I'm disappointed most viewers won't get to witness in the theatrical environment. Johnson again imbues Christie-esque attention-to-detail and elaboration into his witty and timely script. In fact, many elements are such reads of the current culture that you would believe he had just written it this year. From a controversy-prone celebrity to a "men's rights" Twitch streamer to a duller than he seems billionaire, Glass Onion hits every nail on the head. Once again, Daniel Craig brings a steady and brilliant performance once again that allows the rest of the cast to exaggerate their eccentric characters to overwhelmingly great results. The design on this film is truly fascinating and the cinematography framing it all is quite breathtaking if not as flashy as will probably be the eventual Best Cinematography nominees. I'd like to add that this film is edited so precisely and intriguingly that it ties the film together quite nicely. The wardrobe of every character is enough to rival even the previous film. Now, as for the story, there are a number of twists and turns that genuinely manage to surprise. If Knives Out was Johnson's critique of old money families, Glass Onion serves as his critique of new money influencers and entrepreneurs. The subtle and more pronounced behaviors of said influencers and entrepreneurs help to craft the narrative that eventually blossoms into a scathing jab at hypocrisy. The cast all give it their all, but Janelle Monáe truly stands out as essentially the second lead next to Craig's Blanc (who draws so many pleasing parallels to the classic detective Hercule Poirot). From the moment we are presented with the twist of her playing two different characters, one alive and one deceased (twin sisters), the story takes on a more sinister nature and jumps into further complexity willingly to expand upon its story. Through jumping back in time and going back through events through a different lens, it allows the plot more depth and the characters more personality. Also, the score is once again quite fitting for an eccentric modern mystery and the cameos are unexpected but very neat. Miles Bron seems to be Johnson's main target of criticism and, given life through Norton, he truly manages to be an interesting character study and great tie between all of the guests.