7.6 | / 10 |
Users | 3.8 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.2 |
A group of oddball characters assemble at an old Victorian mansion to play a game of "whodunit."
Starring: Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Brennan, Michael McKean, Colleen CampComedy | 100% |
Dark humor | 25% |
Mystery | 1% |
Crime | Insignificant |
Thriller | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Portuguese: Dolby Digital Mono
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
What's your little secret?
"Clue" is without question a member of the first family of board games, up there with all-time classic titles such as "Monopoly," "Risk," "Life," and
"Battleship." These games have entertained generation of players, of all ages and ability levels, while teaching basic skills such as strategy,
critical thinking, mystery solving, and money management. They've withstood the test of time and will undoubtedly continue to do so for decades
to come. With so many units sold, so many players familiar with the concepts, and such high name recognition, it's almost startling that the market
for board games-turned-movies isn't larger than it already is. Perhaps it's writers' and filmmakers' inability to translate the gameplay experience to
the silver screen (a venture perhaps better suited to fictional games like those depicted in Jumanji and Zathura) or an unwillingness to touch sacred material (though that
certainly hasn't stopped studios in the past), but whatever the reason may be, the board game experience hasn't really made much of an impact on
cinema, particularly in comparison to the video game, comic book, and literature-based pictures, three categories which absolutely define the movie
landscape. Director Jonathan Lynn's (My Cousin Vinny) Clue is the most successful and recognizable
of the few board game movie adaptations. It's a fun and faithful screen telling of the favorite party game, a blast to watch, a breeze to sit through,
and smatter and more mysterious than audiences might very well expect.
Do we look like we could come up with a caption? Don't think so.
Clue's Blu-ray debut should satisfy fans. Paramount's 1080p transfer is this release's strongest asset. Though blacks can be a bit muddled and the darkest scenes overwhelmed by dominant shadows, the bulk of the image impresses a great deal. A moderate grain structure is a constant, accentuating fine details and supporting a very pleasant film-like image. Indeed, detailing is quite good from start to finish. The image is stable and naturally sharp. The finest wooden texturing around the house never ceases to amaze, while clothing and skin textures are accurate and complex. Brighter scenes -- such as those in the kitchen -- fare a little better than the warmer scenes in other parts of the house, but the level of detail remains impressive in any environment. Colors favor a warmish tint, largely a result of lighting and the dark reds and browns that are so prevalent throughout. Yet splashes of color on clothes and adornments around the house are stable and true. Flesh tones never betray a natural tint, and blacks at least never go a shade of dark gray. There's no major banding or blocking to see. This is a very good, high quality Blu-ray catalogue transfer.
Clue stumbles onto Blu-ray with an uninspired but functional DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack. In a general sense, the track gets the job done. Most of the dialogue is clear and delivered at an appropriate volume, playing with good clarity, front-center focus, and no competition with surrounding music and effects. On the flip side, there are a few moments where it sounds hollow, an example being Mr. Green's introduction on a rainy doorstep early in the movie. The remainder of the track follows suit, offering general clarity and accuracy but not much vigor and a few problems spots. The top end can be a bit shrilly and detached. There's very little sense of space or realism, whether gusty winds, booming claps of thunder, or general sound effects. A few sonic elements are downright poor; slurping of soup is harsh and over-pumped, too much even for the comic moment the scene efforts to engender. The track stumbles, but it at least gets listeners through the experience with only minor discomfort.
Clue offers audiences all three endings in the special features tab, with the ability to play each separately or as a "trilogy" (1080p). The first runs 8:36, the second 8:47, and the third 7:24. Before movie playback begins, viewers are also given the options of viewing the movie with either one of the three endings randomly selected or in the "home entertainment version" that plays all three endings. Also included as part of the supplements the film's theatrical trailer (1080p, 1:33).
Clue is a charming little picture that's a big celluloid bundle of board game energy. It's an effective, funny, nicely-acted film that's the beneficiary of great source material and high quality production design. The cast easily falls into role and seems to enjoy every second of the movie. Clue may not hold as much appeal as the board game, considering its limited endings and options, but it's a wonderfully authentic and genuinely entertaining little slice of pop culture brought to glorious life on the silver screen. Paramount's Blu-ray release of Clue features very good video, adequate audio, and almost no supplements. It's something of a mediocre Blu-ray all around, but the quality of the film and the strong video transfer make this an easy recommendation nonetheless.
2018
1949
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1991
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1985
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1942
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1989
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