Sometimes a movie sequel will come along and not only meet the expectations of its predecessor, but can actually surpass it too. Unfortunately this was not the case with Murder Mystery 2.

Now full time detectives, Nick (Adam Sandler) and Audrey (Jennifer Aniston) are struggling to get their PI business off the ground. When they are invited to their friend, the Maharajah’s, (Adeel Akhtar) wedding to Claudette (Mélanie Laurent) on a beautiful private island, they think it’ll be a much deserved vacation. But trouble finds them when the Maharajah is kidnapped. Suddenly everyone is a suspect and it is up to the Spitzes to solve the case.

It has been four years since the first caper was released and I remember being surprised as to how much I enjoyed it. The chemistry between Sandler and Aniston was palpable and the mystery was interesting enough to keep me entertained the whole way through. When I heard that they were making a sequel, I wasn’t even hesitant about it because I figured it’d be more or less the same fun time I had before. Unfortunately, as it just so happens, I should have had some reservations after all.

First of all, the pacing here was way off. It took forever for something exciting to happen and in between all the crazy car chases and explosions were some unneeded filler that simply wasn’t necessary. I wasn’t as invested in the overall mystery this time around either and could not get behind rooting for any of the other players in the story, even if one of them was portrayed by Mark Strong.

Even the antics of Nick and Audrey weren’t as authentic as before. The slapstick comedy was turned up a few notches too high, making it more annoying than charming and I wanted to turn it off on more occasions than one.

Netflix films are notorious for being less than stellar, but this is one of the worst ones I have seen to date. Everything about it just felt wrong. It was a slog to get through, the comedy wasn’t funny at all and the whole act just felt tired. I know that they kept things open for a potential third instalment, but I really hope they decide against it.

Rating: ♥️.5