A Familiar but Underwhelming Island Getaway - The Invitation Falls Flat

I finally got around to watching the movie Clue, and I have to say, I was intrigued by the unique setup, so I decided to spend an evening watching it. Plus, it's just over an hour and a half long, which is perfect for a cozy night in.

Plot

Miranda's a florist who's obsessed with detective stories. One day, she receives an invitation to spend the weekend at the mansion of billionaire Lewis Finley, a complete stranger. It turns out that she's not the only one invited - five other people are also heading to the mansion, none of whom know each other or why they've been brought together.

Impressions

As I started watching, I thought to myself, 'This plot is eerily similar to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.' The invitations, the mysterious island, the strangers who don't know each other - it's all pretty familiar. But instead of a famous nursery rhyme, we get... rabbits, I quipped to myself. It actually got a bit creepy thinking about it. I won't spoil it by saying how much Clue resembles Christie's story, but let's just say it's more than a coincidence.

And, of course, there are fewer characters in this one.

Miranda (Misha Barton) - a self-proclaimed detective fan who finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery.

By the way, when her neighbor tried to dissuade her from going, I thought, 'This detective fan must be familiar with Agatha Christie's work... why would she be so reckless?' I put myself in her shoes and thought, 'I'd definitely not go either.' But, of course, there wouldn't be a movie if she hadn't gone. Throughout the film, we see that Miranda is a smart, analytical woman with great deductive skills.

Donald Walker (Chris Browning) - a journalist who initially comes across as tough but not dumb.

Carmen Bianco (Bianca A. Santos) and Phillip Armstrong (Jai Matti) - they're the ultimate chatty couple, and they quickly found their groove with each other. I was a bit skeptical at first, thinking they'd be the most boring duo, but I decided to give them a chance.

Lou (Grace Lynn Kung) - she's got an air of mystery from the get-go, giving off vibes that she's not exactly the most outgoing person.

What really caught my attention was that she's willing to take a leap of faith into the unknown. It's a bit strange, intriguing, and another puzzle to figure out.

Lawrence Kane (Shamus Dever) - he's the lawyer who seemed to be the most laid-back of the group while they were on the road.

There are also the household staff members who'll be joining the party (James Urbaniak, Alex Haid-White, Amy Sloan).

These characters are all quite fascinating, and none of them left me completely unimpressed. I had plenty of questions, suspicions, and some of their actions made me think. Miranda's going to have her hands full with this investigation.

It's no surprise, given that she's a huge fan of detective stories and has the ability to analyze them. Her detective skills allow her to distinguish between truth and lies. Of course, there are those who will make their own guesses about the crime.

The actors all did a great job, convincingly portraying their characters without raising any questions.

Despite my initial expectations, I didn't feel the same level of excitement after watching the movie. In fact, I was left with a slight sense of disappointment and a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction. The pacing was moderate, but there were moments where it felt a bit slow.

What's more, the movie lacked a certain level of intensity and eventfulness, which surprised me given the description of the detective story. Some scenes seemed dull and uninteresting, and I felt like they could have been cut out without affecting the overall story. The dialogue was sometimes slow and unengaging, making it hard to care about some of the characters. There were also moments that felt unrealistic and illogical, and some scenes were even glossed over. The first time this happened was during the game of '2 truths and 1 lie'. In that scene, Miranda's observational skills seemed overly exaggerated and unbelievable to me. I'm aware that some people have exceptional analytical abilities, but in this case, it felt like too much.

But what really caught me off guard was the first unexpected twist, and then there were more surprises, and more. It's thanks to them that 'Invitation to a Murder' gets its revenge and I find myself wanting to keep watching.

I also enjoyed the moments of tension and suspense. It was particularly well-executed during nighttime scenes (in the film), where the creators nailed both the music and visuals. Unfortunately, I didn't get to experience that as often as I'd have liked.

Unfortunately, the film's ending didn't quite hit the mark. Yes, there was a surprise, but it felt too simple and underwhelming. I had a hunch about the killer (which turned out to be correct), but I quickly dismissed it, thinking it couldn't be that easy. So, I dug deeper, but it was a waste of time. Therefore, the killer's identity was still a surprise to me.

Despite being released in 2023, the film's setting is in the distant past, specifically 1934 in Southern England. I have no issues with that – the retro style was well-executed. Visually, the film is quite pleasant.

Verdict: 'Invitation to a Murder' is a decent detective film for one viewing. The concept, although familiar and one of my favorites, lacked action, dynamics, and a great finale. However, if you enjoy detective films, especially those with a closed-space setting, I'd recommend giving it a watch.