Murder Mystery 2 Review: Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are back together for the third time in Netflix’s Murder Mystery 2. But, let’s be honest, it’s not quite the charm we were hoping for.
The first two movies were fun and harmless, but never groundbreaking. They were essentially just the Sandler and Aniston show, and it worked. Murder Mystery 2, however, is the most forgettable of the three.
The story sees Nick and Audrey swept away to a private island to celebrate a wedding. But when their friend, the Maharajah, is kidnapped and his bodyguard left dead on the dance floor, Nick and Audrey become prime suspects. It’s up to them to solve the mystery before more bodies start falling.
The first Murder Mystery was like a discount version of an Agatha Christie tale. But it worked because Sandler and Aniston had great chemistry and were allowed to showcase their comedic talents. The sequel tries to go bigger, with grander locations and more recognizable supporting cast members, but it forgets what made the first movie work in the first place.
The focus on action and a chase across Europe takes away from the partnership the film should have been about in the first place. The small moments between Sandler and Aniston that provided all the great moments of comedy in the first movie are mostly absent in this one.
The only genuinely funny scene in the entire movie is when Nick and Audrey argue over how much cheese Nick is eating, just before the wedding party arrives to figure out who the killer is. It’s a shame because some serious money and effort were put into the technical side of the film. The locations are gorgeous and the action scenes are well-choreographed.
But technical prowess is wasted on a below-average story. The twist isn’t exciting, the supporting characters are bland, and you’ll be hard-pressed to remember anything from the movie the day after watching it.
It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s not a good one either. There are some great performances hidden in there, and the production value alone is enough to keep it from being a disaster. But it’s just not memorable.
In the end, I’d rather watch an interesting, outlandish bad movie than a forgettable, average one. Sadly, Murder Mystery 2 falls into the latter category.
