Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Glass Onion!
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the acclaimed second installment in the murder mystery series Knives Out, but it actually repeats a trick from one of director Rian Johnson’s previous films: Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Before helming the popular Knives Out series, Rian Johnson had a hand in directing episode VIII of the beloved Star Wars franchise. Although it received mixed reviews from audiences initially, many have gone on to love Star Wars: The Last Jedi for one big reason – something that Glass Onion repeats.
After solving the complex murder of Harlan Thrombey in Knives Out, the long-awaited sequel Glass Onion follows Detective Benoit Blanc on his next mystery. This time, Blanc is invited to the private island of billionaire mogul Miles Bron, with the detective first solving Bron’s murder mystery party before moving on to solve a real murder once bodies start dropping. The Knives Out franchise has allowed director Rian Johnson to find massive success, overcoming the initial wave of hate that greeted him after his controversial story in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
How Glass Onion Repeats The Last Jedi’s Subversive Ending
Following up J.J. Abrams’ Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rian Johnson’s episode XIII was expected to answer a lot of questions, including the mystery of Rey’s parents, Snoke’s motivation, and the return of Luke Skywalker. Once the film came out, though, it became apparent that The Last Jedi subverted the expectations of audiences, with the film revealing that Rey’s parents were nobodies, killing off Snoke, and treating Luke Skywalker’s legacy with irreverence. While audiences have come to appreciate this clever subversion, initially some Star Wars viewers were strongly against it.
Rian Johnson’s iconic subversion of Star Wars has continued on in his future projects, with the director repeating it in Glass Onion. Rather than doubling down on the complex mystery of Knives Out, Glass Onion has a simple mystery, with the killer being the most obvious one and the murder being pulled off in a simple way. Glass Onion‘s simple killer reveal is brilliant, continuing Rian Johnson’s subversive trick that he first introduced in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Glass Onion Copies The Last Jedi’s Rejection Of The Past
Glass Onion also copies another trick from Star Wars: The Last Jedi: its rejection of the past. Unlike other legacy sequels (including The Force Awakens), The Last Jedi doesn’t treat the history of Star Wars with any reverence or emotion. Instead, it rejects the past, setting the franchise’s sights on the future. This is another choice that was highly criticized upon release, but in hindsight it’s brilliant.
Glass Onion rejects the past in a similar way, as the sequel’s story is entirely self-contained. The film features no returning characters besides Benoit Blanc, and the mystery is not tied into the story of Knives Out in any way. Glass Onion hardly features any Knives Out references, and the Easter eggs it does feature are so subtle that many viewers completely miss them. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery completely flips Knives Out on its head, rejecting the past and subverting audience expectations – something Rian Johnson learned from Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
