Invitation to a Murder

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Phil S Awful Seen some baddens but this is really bottom of the barrel. One of the characters is a medical doctor. The first "victim' was only pretending. to be dead. Who writes this garbage? They get paid.? What the heck! Micha Barton puts in a brilliant performance as a frumpy conceited holier than thou florist , who , if anyone lived next door to her they would move. No empathy with any of the characters . If I was one of the invited I would have blown my brains out at the very beginning rather than enduring the turgid grinding monotony. I suppose I'm the mug for watching it all the way through . You think there's no way this could possibly get any worse and yet it does iOMG There's going to be another two!! Argh Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/01/25 Full Review Audience Member Burblespeu Halescourge Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/23/25 Full Review Scott D. Terrible. Bad acting, tired plot, zero character development and the “Detective” didn’t even solve the murder in the end. I signed up to Rotten Tomatoes PURELY to rate how bad this movie was. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 06/22/25 Full Review Audience Member Solid production value, clunky direction, dismal character development, adequate plot but insultingly inept screenplay. Hammy moralizing does not work for a denouement. No background to legitimize any character's behavior? Mischa Barton deserved much better. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 05/16/25 Full Review Uncle O Great Expectations. This is a murder mystery if made by Temu. Excruciating to watch beyond the first 15 minutes Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 05/11/25 Full Review NotPoisonIvy C Review: Invitation to a Murder (2023) Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5) "Invitation to a Murder is like attending an elaborate costume party where everyone forgot to dress up." As someone who adores whodunits, especially anything with a vintage setting and a locked-room premise, I wanted to love Invitation to a Murder. It had all the right ingredients on paper: a secluded estate, a cast of strangers, and a clever amateur detective. But something went wrong. Actually, quite a few things. Let’s start with the setting. In classic mysteries, the house isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a character, a place with mood, secrets, and menace. But here, the house lacked real presence. It didn’t feel eerie, grand, or even particularly mysterious. From the outside, it looked more like a pleasant weekend rental than a location worthy of a dark and twisting murder mystery. The flat lighting and uninspired camerawork further diminish any chance for a genuine atmosphere. And the staff? Their ominous behavior felt forced, as if they were trying to play “sinister” rather than inhabit one naturally. The maid was somewhat more believable, nervous, a little ditzy, but even she felt like a trope more than a real person. Miranda Green, the protagonist, had the potential to be a standout. She’s clever, observant, and charming in a way that brings a young female Poirot to mind. But that’s the problem: she feels like Poirot instead of being herself. Instead of building her out as a truly unique and compelling character, the story leans too hard on evoking Agatha Christie’s influence. I wish we could’ve dived deeper into Miranda’s backstory, inner life, and emotional stakes. She’s introduced as a florist and an admirer of detective fiction, but who is she? What drives her? A character this promising deserves to stand on her own feet, not in someone else’s shadow. Plot-wise, the premise is solid, but the execution is underwhelming. The dialogue, where there should be wit and tension, falls flat, bogged down by heavy exposition and on-the-nose observations. The twists felt too predictable or abrupt, with little to no emotional tension or psychological layering. I never quite believed the stakes. The pacing dragged in places, and the entire production felt more like a made-for-TV movie than a polished feature film. Most disappointing is how the mystery's mechanics lack internal logic. Red herrings aren't so much planted as randomly tossed in, and the final revelation depends on coincidences that stretch credibility. Christie, Conan Doyle, and other masters of the genre understood that the most satisfying mysteries feel inevitable in retrospect, clues hidden in plain sight that viewers kick themselves for missing. 'Invitation' offers neither the pleasure of solving alongside our detective nor the thrill of being cleverly deceived. Invitation to a Murder stumbles into theaters during mystery's modern renaissance without understanding what fuels it. Unlike Rian Johnson's Knives Out films, which brilliantly blend social commentary with genre celebration, this movie feels oddly out of step. It doesn't grasp why today's audiences crave whodunits or why stories of clever detectives and hidden motives still matter to us. It's a mystery that misses the mystery of why we need mysteries. Ultimately, Invitation to a Murder felt more like a missed opportunity than a mystery worth solving. With stronger writing, deeper character development, and a house that knew how to hold a secret, this could've been something special. But as it stands, it’s a puzzle with pieces that almost fit, just not quite. Invitation to a Murder delivers precisely what its title promises: an invitation, not an experience. It's a murder mystery that forgets the most crucial element: making us care—who lives, who dies, and who lies. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/05/25 Full Review Read all reviews

Invitation to a Murder

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