Murder Mystery 2 is rowdier, crazier, and flashier. Does it entertain? I feel it does.
Murder Mystery 2 Synopsis
Nick and Audrey Shitz, sorry, the Spitzs, start a detective agency after the events of the first movie. Business is horrid, though, and so the two are grateful for a break when invited to a private island to attend the ridiculously opulent wedding of Vikram “The Maharajah” Govindan. Like their previous visit to Southern Europe, the dream-like vacation soon turns murderous and violent.
Snappy Review
Did you watch Murder Mystery (2019)? If so, did you like it?
Well, I watched it back then without any expectations and ended up enjoying every minute of the glitzy, riotous nonsense. On the other hand, most (pro) critics described the show as amiable at best; neither truly intelligent nor funny. The only thing these critics found praiseworthy seems to be the chemistry between Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston.
With Murder Mystery 2, it looks like the consensus is again that Sandler and Aniston are believable with their depictions of a bungling, middle-aged American couple. As for other aspects of the show, I went through four Google pages and struggle to find even one genuinely enthusiastic review. Time Magazine even went as far as to describe this sequel as reflective of “the worst of the streaming era.”
I feel these reactions are … regrettable. Yes, it’s true. Murder Mystery 2 jacks up the zaniness and in doing so, thrust the show a bit too much into slapstick territory. At a super-slim 89 minutes, there’s no twisty whodunit flavor of any sort as well. This is a straightforward over-the-top comedy, expensive comedy, through and through.
The above said, is the show dreary? No. Is it effective escapism? Hard to say it’s not, with the Bollywood wedding sequences and James Bond-like shootouts, and top names like Mark Strong and John Kani not at all minding their caricature roles.
And while the length forces a lot of leaps in story, watch it before bedtime, as I did, and you’d agree that it’s actually perfect in size. A spirited late-night Netflix snack following which you can go to bed happy.
So, no, I don’t think Murder Mystery 2 is anywhere near awful. It’s admittedly not awesome too and as some noted, could have fared much better with more mystery and murder.
But it gave me happy dreams on a weekday night. Since this action comedy is streaming-exclusive, I feel that is all that matters.
Check out my other snappy movie reviews.
