MarkStrong – Credits Rolling

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

Estella (Emma Stone) has always dreamed of becoming a fashion designer. A grifter, she meets Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser) and the three of them build a life for themselves on the streets of London. When Estella lands a job working for Baroness von Hellman (Emma Thompson), she believes that she has finally made it. Unfortunately for her, the Baroness is not who Estella was hoping she would be and desire to rivel the Baroness grows. Before she knows it, Estella is no more and Cruella has taken her place.

The newest addition to Disney’s live action remakes, Cruella has been taking the world by storm. A lot of build up and anticipation for fans of the original classic, I have to say that this was a solid movie at the end of the day. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely is one of the better films Disney has put out lately.

One of the things that worked best was the cast. They were all phenomenal and that says a lot because I wasn’t sure what to think of Emma Stone at first. I love her, but the idea of her as Cruella didn’t seem to fit. She proved me wrong though and I am so happy about that. Emma Thompson is a queen and she was fabulous in this. Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Fry were exactly how I pictured Horace and Jasper to be and the additions of Mark Strong as John, Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Anita and Kayvan Novak as Roger were also well done.

I cannot get over the beautiful costumes that were created for this movie. Heavily influenced by punk rock, it was different and edgy. I coveted all the looks! I also appreciated the music choices and thought that they fit well into the various scenes.

The only thing that I didn’t like was the length of the film. It felt too long and could have certainly been cut down a bit, especially in the beginning. The story took some time to really lift off though I have to admit that once it did, it didn’t let up for a second.

Cruella was a movie that I had been looking forward to ever since it was announced. I remember loving 101 Dalmatians as a child and so I was excited to see the origin story for its villain. I’m really glad that it delivered. It kept me thoroughly entertained and yes, I am hoping for a sequel.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥