There’s nothing more cozy than a good whodunit. 2019’s “Knives Out” (written and directed by Ryan Johnson) did a good job simulating a Hercule Poirot-like murder mystery, while at the same time, adding clever twists to the formula.

With it being such a big hit, a sequel starring the kooky and overly southern detective Benoit Blanc (played by Daniel Craig) was obvious. 

That sequel is “Glass Onion” (2022, still directed/written by Rian Johnson). And while it’s not quite as good as the first film, it’s still a funny and clever murder mystery that’s worth a watch on Netflix.

Benoit Blanc (still played by Craig) is invited to a murder mystery weekend with the murder victim being played by the host, billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). 

With the rest of guests being five of Bron’s friends, all of whom owe their current wealth and status to him and might have an ax to grind against him for one reason or another.

The best part of the film is hands down the cast. Everyone slips into their roles with ease and dignity and do a good time getting lots of laughs out of the audience.

The highlight is obviously Craig as Blanc. His southern drawl, clear discomfort around anything that doesn’t involve a mystery, along with wearing some of the loudest/tackiest outfits imaginable, makes him a standout in the film.

Just like the first film, the mystery of the story is well done and intriguing with a classic setup with clever twists to keep the audience on its toes. 

When the viewer isn’t trying to solve the puzzle box that is this movie, they’re laughing from all the clever jokes and funny concepts. A good example is Benoit Blanc playing “Among Us” in the bath with a bunch of celebrity cameos over Zoom (including the late Angela Lansbury), and being absolutely terrible at it.

But with all those positives there are a few negatives.

Firstly, while the cast does give great performances, not all of them are memorable or stand out, which is a problem in a murder mystery where everyone is a suspect.

While the mystery of the film is intriguing, it cheats in holding off crucial information until around half way through the film, making it impossible for the audience to figure out the mystery until then. 

The movie also feels incredibly dated even though it only came out last year. Along with the already mentioned among us, there’s also a large amount of celebrity cameos, and a part of the film where everyone wears masks till they’re all magically immunized.

What’s weird is that the first film managed to avoid all these problems. 

Even with “Knives Out” having a larger cast compared to “Glass Onion”, all of the family members were memorable and funny with how two-faced they were. 

And while the first film did have a twist that flipped the script on its head, an audience member would still be able to guess who the killer is beforehand. 

The first film also cleverly gave itself a timeless vibe by having everyone acting in modern ways, but the setting and murder felt similar to a classic murder mystery one would read in an Agatha Christie book.

“Glass Onion”, while still a funny and clever mystery, makes mistakes that the first film managed to avoid.