Netflix’s “Glass Onion”: a mystery film and the fight between James Bond and Elon Musk?

As happened at the end of 2021 with “Don’t Look Up”, Netflix aims to close this year with a new movie that gives a lot to talk about. And he does it with a film with a similar profile: a cast full of stars, a mystery to solve, a satire that speaks of current times. In this case it is “Glass Onion”, a film that serves as a sequel to the successful Knives Out (“Between knives and secrets”, 2019), which will premiere on the streaming platform on December 23.

What is “Glass Onion” about? Like its predecessor, it presents the intrigue of a crime and the search for a culprit among various suspects –a ‘whodunit’, as it is also called–. and here the british Daniel Craig returns to play the lead detective, Benoit Blanc. On this occasion, he is surrounded by a cast made up of Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Jessica Henwick, Kathryn Hahn, Kate Hudson, Leslie Odom Jr., among others.

What makes “Glass Onion” different from “Knives Out”? “I think everything,” says Rian Johnson, the director of both films, in conversation with Trade–. My inspiration was always Agatha Christie’s novels, and the way the game changed with each book. So with ‘Glass Onion’ he wanted people to quickly understand that it was another movie. With the location, well, we traded fall in New England for summer in Greece; the complete renewal of the cast; creating a new story and new twists. The idea was for it to have its own identity and be a new experience for the viewer”.

Daniel Craig, the star of the film, also spoke with this newspaper and referred to the new proposal: “We didn’t want to repeat things or for the viewer to get bored with our logic. We were looking for him to be surprised and have as much or more fun than with the previous film.”.

Villains of our days

Despite not yet being released on Netflix, “Glass Onion” was announced last Monday as one of the nominees for Best Musical or Comedy Film at the 2023 Golden Globes. And Craig, its protagonist, is also running for Best Actor. In fact, at times, his shrewd and refined investigative role came across as a ‘soft’, humorous and gay version –because the character is– of James Bond who embodied in five films and over fifteen years.

Asked about the commonalities between the two characters –Bond and Blanc–, Craig laughs and affirms that yes, there may be a connection: “Every figure I play is a part of who I am.. Something from deep within me appears in them. So if they look alike, I don’t think it’s a bad thing.”

A fact that would turn “Glass Onion” (if we force and stretch the parallels) into an unprecedented confrontation between James Bond and Elon Musk. Because the film introduces another peculiar character: Miles Bron, a wayward tech mogul who is clearly inspired by the controversial owner of Tesla Motors, SpaceX and Twitter.

Rian Johnson explains his motivations for parodying it: “I liked the idea of ​​taking the mystery-to-solve genre, usually set in period pieces, and placing it in the present day. Talk about social networks, technological millionaires, YouTube influencers. I think if Agatha Christie were alive and writing today, she would be writing about these issues and these people.”.

And shouldn’t guys like Musk worry us? Or is it better to make fun of them, as the movie does? “probably both [risas]. I’ve been on Twitter for many years, so maybe I’m part of the problem. But It’s a problem and a blessing at the same time.”, Rian Johnson answers our question.

“No, I think we should just make fun of them”, Craig replies, more relaxed and disinterested in front of the new gurus of ‘social media’ and technology. “I don’t think we should take them seriously, especially social media people. Because there everything is ephemeral, it means nothing. Although I suppose that’s the incredible thing about it: that they mean nothing, and yet they mean a lot. It’s one of those unsolved philosophical riddles. So I try to ignore them”.