Directed By Jeremy Garelick

Starring – Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Mark Strong

The Plot – Full-time detectives Nick (Sandler) and Audrey (Aniston) are struggling to get their private eye agency off the ground. They find themselves at the center of international abduction when their friend Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar), is kidnapped at his own lavish wedding.

Rated PG-13 for violence, bloody images, strong adult language, suggestive material and smoking

Murder Mystery 2 | Official Trailer | Netflix – YouTube

POSITIVES

Sandler and Aniston are still the heart of this casual Netflix franchise, emitting a seamless chemistry and impeccable timing that at the very least make each installment a serviceable delight for their brand of lived-in growing pains. Sandler continues to roll through the punches of some surprising physicality that expands upon his conventional reaches, and Aniston’s dry deliveries often give the material the kind of wings needed to effectively render some darkly depraved situations for the couple, with each of them respectively switching off between comedian and straight man, casually throughout the flick. On top of the dazzling duo, Mark Strong is a welcome addition to the proceedings, bringing his brute strength and brutality towards an M-I-6 field agent that he feels born to accurately portray, and a couple of meaningfully layered cameos along the way give the film a vital emphasis of big stakes to go with the enhanced presentation, making this feel like a bigger sequel in nearly every aspect. Speaking of that production, the film’s budget is noticeably increased this time around to conjure some surprisingly intense action set pieces and set decoration that make its geographic escapism all the more gratifying in the context of the narrative. In particular, the Indian themed wedding visuals add a touch of taste and upper class elegance to the engagement that vividly convey the wealth among its ensemble cast of eclectic characters, and when coupled with some momentarily vivacious imagery in island-side visuals, commands a sleek presentation that definetly transcended its streaming capacities. Finally, I more than anyone can appreciate a barebones 84 minute run time, especially with how it requires the story to consistently keep moving forward through sluggish and predictable waters, and while I have problems with the way some of the minutes were used accordingly, I can say that I was never bored or struggling to hang on like I was the original effort, leaving me thankful for the kind of film that writer James Vanderbilt is aware of that he has in front of him.

NEGATIVES

While “Murder Mystery 2” is a welcome improvement on its predecessor, it’s still plagued by the same kind of pedestrian problems in execution that never elevates it beyond a servicably forgettable time burner. For starters, the humor and mystery elements remain flatly undercooked, with awkward gags and predictability making up an abundance of the occasion. To its benefit, I did laugh three times in this film, as to where the first went mostly undetected, however the brand of material remains mostly the same, with Sandler squawking his familiar everyman commentary at rich and foreign traditions, in ways that make the extent of his investigative expertise feel all the more straining in consequence. As for the mystery itself, I was not only once again able to successfully pick out the culprit from the barebones brand of one-line dialogue characterization directly undercutting the emotional attachment to them, but was once again smothered by the convoluted execution of the movie’s climax that contort and confuse the audience on how some of the events are at least supposed to line up. Considering the big reveal happens with around twenty-five minutes left in the proceedings, I knew that there was more to the mystery that meets the eye, but its stacked plates only further makes it difficult to properly follow along, and while picking the why is nearly impossible in a movie with so much constantly going on, picking the who should never be the easiest part to any murder mystery. Beyond this, the major flaw to the script that I wish received more emphasis is on this case revolving around a friend of the Spitz’, and how they respond to something so personal. Despite mentioning precisely that it’s personal somewhere during the second act in dialogue, this case never seems all the more difficult or straining on the relationship dynamic of our dual protagonists, leaving a missed opportunity stranded within an overall structure that bares more than a few glaring resemblances to the original installment, which keep this one from succeeding on its own merits of originality. It’s not even a murder mystery this time around, but a kidnapping, proving that even the title isn’t even in-tuned with the kind of movie that it’s supposed to be representing.

OVERALL
“Murder Mystery 2” isn’t quite as flat or cinematically small scale as its inferior predecessor, but it is a humor-handicapped and undercooked mystery in mediocre storytelling nonetheless, and one that at 84 minutes is essentially over before it begins. Though the charms of Sandler and Anniston’s third film sharing a screen together exemplifies the merit of their on-screen chemistry with their impeccable off-screen friendship, the clues simply never conjure anything compelling towards momentum, leaving this another Netflix film that will quickly and inevitably vanish without a trace from my memory

My Grade: 5/10 or D