The first reactions to the sequel to Knives Out, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, are out, and there’s a lot of praise for Rian Johnson’s new murder mystery ahead of its release. In 2019, Rian Johnson surprised viewers with Knives Out, a mystery movie written and directed by Johnson and with a star-studded cast that quickly won over the audience. Knives Out was a critical and commercial success, and while it didn’t leave any loose ends that could guarantee a sequel, a deal with Netflix made way for a standalone sequel.

Glass Onion leaves the Thrombey family behind to follow detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he solves a new mystery. Tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton) invites a group of friends and Benoit Blanc for a “murder mystery party” getaway on his private Greek island, Glass Onion. However, the party goes wrong and there’s an actual murder, which Blanc now must solve and discover who the killer is. Glass Onion will get a one-week limited theatrical release on November 23 before its release on Netflix on December 23, and so far, it has been getting positive reviews.

Related: Knives Out 2 Might've Just Spoiled Who Dies In Glass Onion

What Glass Onion's Positive Reviews Are Saying

Daniel Craig as Benoit Blanc in Glass Onion A Knives Out Mystery

At the time of writing, Glass Onion holds a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes, giving it a “fresh” certification, and a score of 82 out of 100 on Metacritic. Although Glass Onion is a standalone sequel, meaning that it has no connection to the first movie except for Benoit Blanc and thus can be enjoyed without watching Knives Out, critics are praising their similarities: an intriguing mystery, references to its own genre, twists, and an ensemble cast. Speaking of the cast, it would have been easy for Glass Onion to fall off the track between the mystery waiting to be solved and trying to give each character enough screen time, but Johnson’s well-constructed script seems to be dodging that bullet (for the most part), bringing an engaging mystery story that flows quite well.

Glass Onion is also expanding on the character of Benoit Blanc by following him a bit closer and learning more about his life outside his detective work, making him a more rounded character. Daniel Craig’s performance and comedic skills are also being widely praised by critics, who are pointing out how comfortable he seems to be in the role of Benoit Blanc – however, out of the whole cast, Kate Hudson and Janelle Monáe are the ones stealing the show, particularly the latter. Knives Out was more of a mystery movie with comedic moments here and there, while Glass Onion embraces comedy a lot more, but without sacrificing the mystery and suspense. Here’s what the positive reviews of Glass Onion are saying.

Empire

“You could pick a different favourite each time you think about it, but particular praise must go to Janelle Monáe, showing versatile comedy chops for the first time in a complex role that requires both drunken pratfalls and if-looks-could-kill stares; and Kate Hudson, having a blast as an endlessly cancelled fashionista with a penchant for tweeting racial slurs.”

CBR

“Craig is once again perfectly endearing as Blanc, keeping the detective deliberately charming and genuinely cutting -- especially when he gets to play up a scene for laughs. The MVP of the film is Monae, whose take on Andi is impossible to discuss without spoiling much of the film's sprawling mysteries. Suffice it to say, she finds herself with a deceptively tricky task that she accomplishes with gusto.”

CNET

“Johnson, meanwhile, delights in layering the elaborate plot. The invitation to the sun-dappled reunion comes in the form of a wooden puzzle box, and the whole film is built from puzzles within puzzles. This multilayered construction adds up to a hugely satisfying murder mystery. Among the suspects, Norton is fiendishly bland, Hudson is on great form as a loud-mouthed fashionista, and Bautista excels again at revealing hidden depths playing a manosphere man-mountain. Monáe gives Craig a run for his money”

Looper

“Glass Onion represents Rian Johnson's unique and singular vision, proving that it is possible to make a compelling follow-up to a massive crowd-pleaser. With a cast of effortlessly talented dramatic and comedic performances — chief among them Janelle Monae, who steals the show and never looks back — they are able to bring to life a film that at once pays tribute to its genre while also casting a playfully malevolent eye on the stakeholders in modern society.”

Mashable

“Without getting into spoilers, Johnson plays once more with reversals, reveals, flashbacks, and complicated alliances, but he does so with such panache that Glass Onion doesn't feel like it's repeating steps, it feels like the continuation of an enthralling dance number. Craig and his scene partners nimbly hit each step, glowing radiant on the screen like old-school stars, exuding glamor, machismo, or outrageousness, feeling both larger than life and all too real at once.”

What Critics Don't Like About Glass Onion

Kathryn Hahn as Claire, Madelyn Cline as Whiskey, Edward Norton as Miles, Leslie Odom Jr as Lionel, Kate Hudson as Birdie in Glass Onion A Knives Out Mystery

Of course, not everything about Glass Onion is being praised, and what some critics are loving, others are not. While some liked the many layers of the story, others have found that the clues, twists, and reveals of this new puzzle are too distracting, making it easy for viewers to lose track. Because Glass Onion is set during the pandemic, there are many references to those lockdown times and the many precautions everyone took back in 2020, and these jokes now feel unnecessary. Many others don’t quite land and that might have a lot to do with the characters, as the movie gives some quick, basic information about them and forgets to develop the characters, making for a bunch of one-dimensional characters.

While the performances of Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, and Janelle Monáe are getting all the praise, Katherine Hahn and Leslie Odom Jr. are being pointed out as the two, painfully underused talents of Glass Onion (and the above-mentioned blandness of the characters doesn’t help). Another weakness found in Glass Onion is its political commentary, which is a lot more obvious than in Knives Out, and as such, it won’t sit well with all viewers. Here’s what the negative reviews of Glass Onion are saying.

The Wrap

“Overall, “Glass Onion” is a serviceable capitalization on the success of “Knives Out.” There’s nothing about it that strikes as particularly memorable or necessary, and the hodgepodge of plot points and casting choices seem emblematic of filmmaking by algorithm. Those without Netflix subscriptions aren’t necessarily missing out.”

Slant Magazine

“Without spoiling too much of the plot, the film builds up to a howl of despair at the state of present-day America: a capitalist system that protects the self-interested one-percent and their accomplices, as well as a justice system designed to insulate them from severe consequences for their misdeeds. The explosive climax has a certain primally cathartic power, but it doesn’t quite dispel the air of self-satisfaction that envelops Johnson’s screenplay. As topical commentary, Glass Onion feels less born out of deeply felt personal fury than an interest in pandering to audience members of the same progressive political persuasion.”

New York Post

“However, what makes you want to draw a chalk outline around “Glass Onion” is our lazily conceived new suspects. They’re well-cast and the actors all do fine comedic work, to be sure, but Johnson drops one defining biographical detail about them at the beginning and never elaborates. The actors, therefore, play up their own personalities rather than develop memorable characters. Plainly put, they’re bland."

Related: What Does Glass Onion Mean? Knives Out 2 Title Explained

How Glass Onion's RT & Metacritic Scores Compare To Knives Out

Knives Out 2 Glass Onion Repeating Tricks

Glass Onion’s current scores on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic are not too different from those of Knives Out. The first movie holds a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 82 out of 100 score on Metacritic, though their strengths vary. Knives Out was praised for the performances of its cast, as even those who had minor roles gave memorable performances, unlike what’s happening with those in Glass Onion. The shared strength in Knives Out and Glass Onion is how they treat the murder-mystery genre and its tropes, as well as Daniel Craig’s performance as the now-leader of the franchise. Glass Onion took what made Knives Out great and adapted it to a new setting and a new group of characters, and while it has its weaknesses, these don’t seem to be strong enough to overshadow what makes it a fun continuation of Benoit Blanc’s adventures.

Next: Glass Onion's Meta Twist Means Knives Out 2 Can Surpass The Original

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