Rian Johnson’s Knives Out made waves in 2019, delivering a jaw-dropping, star-studded, mysterious, and brilliantly complex whodunit, that quite easily ranks among the best. Since the first Knives Out floored its audience, fans have been clambering for a sequel to the hit film. Thankfully, in 2021, in a trailer for all the upcoming Netflix titles, fans were treated to a small but exciting teaser for a sequel to the fantastic whodunit, titled Glass Onion. Glass Onion premiered at a couple film festivals with critics and a few fans that were lucky enough to catch the film way ahead of its release. Sadly, most audiences had to wait a couple of months in order to understand what the hype was about. But on December 23rd, audiences finally got to bathe in Glass Onion’s glory and become engrossed by another of Benoit Blanc’s compelling cases.
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However, ever since the film was released, critics and fans alike have begun comparing the first movie to its newly-released sequel, Glass Onion. Here’s how Glass Onion compares to Knives Out.

Related: Glass Onion: How Will Rian Johnson Link His Knives Out Franchise

Cast

Lionsgate

It’s safe to say that one of the most appealing factors to both movies are their exceptional casts. With Knives Out sporting the likes of Ana de Armas, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Toni Collette, Michael Shannon, Christopher Plummer, Don Johnson, Lakeith Stanfield, and of course, Daniel Craig, just to name a few. After that spectacular casting, it was fair to wonder how a sequel could ever top its first. Well, with Glass Onion bringing the likes of Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Jessica Henwick, Edward Norton, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Madelyn Cline, and Janelle Monae into the Knives Out universe, Glass Onion has done more than enough to rival its predecessor’s casting.

While the cast of Glass Onion is sensational, even with all the shocking cameos, the cast of Knives Out feels just that little bit more special. It’s an incredibly close race, but an A-star casting with the likes of Ana de Armas, Chris Evans and Daniel Craig’s perfect first appearance as the great Benoit Blanc, it feels as if there is no comparison, as they are both great in their own right.

Mystery

Lionsgate Films

Rian Johnson hasn’t yet failed to make brilliantly complex and engaging mysteries, which both movies have certainly delivered on. The first attempts to solve the mysterious death of crime novelist Harlan Thormbey, that pits the wildly dysfunctional Thormbey family as prime suspects. Glass Onion instead sees Benoit Blanc attend a murder mystery party, of which he was bafflingly invited to, and after a deadly murder, Benoit Blanc must sift through a vast web of lies in order to uncover the truth.

The plots for both movies are vastly different, which makes each mystery so engaging in their own ways. However, what they both do is throw constant red herrings and many other unexpected twists into the mix, that both the audience and Benoit Blanc are forced to uncover, keeping the film constantly engaging. The overall mystery of Knives Out is far superior to that of Glass Onion; however, the second act of Glass Onion throws a brilliant and unexpected curveball into the mix, that changes everything that unfolded prior to this moment, as well as the rest of the movie going forward. This twist elevates Glass Onion, making it a very worthy competition and competent entry into the Knives Out universe.

Related: Why Murder Mysteries Have Become So Popular?

Characters

Netflix

Both Knives Out and Glass Onion are filled with pretty selfish and detestable human beings, with Benoit Blanc and one other character in each movie that we emphasize with, thrown into the mix. Knives Out is filled with a dysfunctional family who think they are all entitled to the late Harlan Thormbey’s inheritance. Likewise, Glass Onion follows a friend group who have known each other for years, swindling their way through life, making reckless decisions, and relying on Tech Billionaire Miles Bron to fix these issues. The characters of Glass Onion are far more detestable than those of Knives Out, filled with crooked politicians, liars, cheats, tech billionaires, and influencers. However, this friend group makes for more engaging interactions and comedic moments.

Janelle Monae’s character, Andi, was a great character that audiences could care for, and Monae’s performance only added many more compelling and lovable layers to her character. Unfortunately, as brilliant as Janelle Monae is, it’s very hard to find a character in all of Knives Out that audiences care for more than Ana de Armas’ Marta Cabrera, the protagonist of Knives Out, who simply made Knives Out far better and more engaging, raising the overall stakes. Both performances were simply exceptional from both Monae and de Armas; however, Marta Cabrera’s character was written with far more depth and complexity. We can’t go on without mentioning Daniel Craig’s brilliantly over-the-top Benoit Blanc, who was simply exceptional in both movies, making both films feel more irreverently fun and comedic.

Location

Netflix

As with many whodunits, the location and setting of each film plays an integral character in the film. Knives Out was set in a mansion, which uses the layout in its mystery, as well as some truly beautiful set design. Most specifically, the wheel of knives in the mansion’s library is an unexpectedly poignant aspect to the film’s ending, which we will touch on later. Similarly, Glass Onion is set on a remote island in Greece, with some truly stunning set design, which is once again used for the film’s mystery. Miles Bron’s island is simply jaw-dropping, especially with a gigantic Glass Onion in the middle, of which Benoit Blanc praises as a metaphor. The locations of both movies are vastly different, with the simple mansion setting in the first, and the simply luxurious and over-the-top design in Glass Onion. With that, the setting of Glass Onion feels far more memorable and integral to the movie’s plot.

Ending

Lionsgate

The ending and conclusion to a murder mystery is the most essential component, and when it is done well, it becomes memorable and immensely satisfying. Knives Out delivered one of the best and most iconic conclusions in whodunit history. Subverting expectations of all murder mysteries, as well as who we know the characters of the film to be. Without spoiling much, Marta’s vomiting when lying and the wheel of knives all play an integral component to the overarching mystery and conclusion to the great Knives Out.

Glass Onion, therefore, had a lot to live up to, and sadly was a little disappointing. Although it was a fun social commentary on both tech billionaires and over-analyzing a murder mystery, with a simply idiotic and completely expected suspect. Sure, this may be the audience’s fault for expecting a deeply complex and unexpected suspect, but that’s also where some of the brilliance of this ending lies. Undoubtedly, the ending to Knives Out is far superior to that of Glass Onion, even if Glass Onion had an underlying layer of brilliance that sadly many audiences will overlook.