The trailer of the movie "Murder Mystery 2" (Netflix)
Star rating - three stars (photo: image processing, Walla system)
The first episode of the "Murder Mystery" movie series appeared on Netflix about four years ago.
It was a little before the corona, and before the streaming platform finally became the most significant force in the world of cinema, and yet the film became a huge success - the biggest in the history of the service until then.
For the few who haven't seen it, we'll remind you of the plot: Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston play an average New York couple - Nick and Audrey.
He works for the New York Police Department, and she works at a hair salon.
The two are anything but the people of the big world, and are going on a trip for the first time in their lives, in honor of 15 years of marriage.
During the journey, it turns out that Nick lied that he was promoted to the position of detective, while he is still a "regular" police officer.
The opportunity to turn the lie into reality comes when the two connect with a billionaire, who invites them to his yacht.
They meet various strange guests on board, and in the best tradition of Agatha Christie, one of them finds his death under mysterious circumstances.
The innocent couple becomes a suspect in the murder,
There are all kinds of reasons why movies are successful.
Often these are external factors - the spirit of the times and the like.
In the case of "Murder Mystery", I think the reason is more basic: James Vanderblit's script was just perfect, from every angle you look at it, and his performance was impeccable.
It's not for nothing that Sandler and Aniston are the two most popular comedians these days, and in this hit they did better than ever to build relatable characters and demonstrate comic timing.
Inevitable.
From "Murder Mystery 2" (Photo: Netflix)
Following the dizzying success of "Murder Mystery", it was clear that a sequel would come, and it is happening this weekend.
"Murder Mystery 2" appears on Netflix worldwide, without visiting the cinemas, and this time its ceiling is higher - it goes without saying that it will take the first place in the viewing charts of the service and generally become one of the most talked about films of the spring.
Anything less will be a disappointment.
Nick and Audrey are also in a completely different place at the beginning of the film.
Following the warning detective skills they discovered in the previous adventure, they founded their own agency, but it is having trouble getting on its feet.
The opportunity for redemption comes thanks to Maharaja, with whom they connected in the previous film.
He invites them to his glittering wedding, where he is about to marry the choice of his heart - a working-class French woman.
Of course, this time too the festive event turns into "Disruption Day", and the mystery from last time repeats itself: again someone is found with a sharp object deep inside his body, and once again everyone is a suspect - including the New York couple.
This plot is reminiscent of the previous film, and also reminiscent of "A Well-Written Murder 2", which appeared on Netflix just a few months ago.
It is likely that in the coming days we will hear a lot of dialogues of this type - "Did you see 'Murder Mystery 2' on Netflix? / 'Wait, it didn't come out long ago'?"
Be that as it may, the turn of events leads the heroes this time to a journey in Paris, including its most iconic sites - for example the Eiffel Tower.
The use of sites like the Grandiose Tower makes the sequel a little more ambitious, pulling it into the realms of action.
James Garlick is a very inexperienced director, certainly not in this genre, and the action scenes here are mediocre at best.
"'John Wick 4" is not.
International cast.
From "Murder Mystery 2" (Photo: Netflix)
On all other fronts, the film once again delivers the goods.
Vanderblit is the son of one of the privileged and richest families in America, and has become one of the most prominent screenwriters in Hollywood - the talented filmmaker broke out with "Zodiac" and was recently involved in the successful sequels of "Scream".
His craft is again polished, and excels mainly in one area: every time the plot slides into absurd places, the script makes sure to insert an absurd pause, which makes it clear to us that "Murder Mystery 2" does not take itself seriously, and certainly does not expect us to do so.
Setting the plot in France allows the film to create cultural clashes between the locals and the visitors from America, and to provide sharp diagnoses of the French tendency to condescend.
In one of the film's climaxes, Nick delivers an urgent and fateful message to the French bride, but instead of focusing mainly, she devotes her time and energies to something else - to correct the way "Jules Verne" conceived.
from personal experience,
The French heroine is played by Melanie Lauren, who is known to the international audience mainly for her role as Susanna in "Dishonorable Bastards", but played in a long series of American and French hits, and also directed excellent films herself.
She is one of the best actresses in France, and a significant power addition that upgrades the sequel.
Every second she's on screen is pure pleasure, and like Sandler and Aniston, she seems to be enjoying every moment.
For sure, you will learn how to pronounce "Jules Verne".
From "Murder Mystery 2" (Photo: Netflix)
And speaking of seconds, it is interesting to note that the length of "Murder Mystery 2" is quite short.
If you don't consider the opening, credits and the like, then in total it lasts a little more than seventy minutes.
This is approximately the length of the Israeli film "Valeria Gets Married" that was recently released, except that in the case of Netflix, the short volume is not necessarily related to budget considerations.
It's a conscious decision to compress the plot and make things run fast, and the result is rhythmic and fun without feeling frantic and rushed.
To say that the film is an excellent head-cleaner for these days would be banal and provincial - "Murder Mystery 2" will rise and be successful even in countries without national emergencies.
But the truth is that beyond escapism, I could not find deep meanings in it.
It's a classic example of a movie where everything is above the surface, and is nothing more than a cheerful execution of fun scripts.
Beyond that, there is nothing to say, and all that remains is to look ahead and wonder - what will reach Netflix first, "Murder Mystery 3" or "Well Written Murder 3"
culture
Theater
film review
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Adam Sandler
Jennifer Aniston
Melanie Lauren
Netflix
