Mystery Island

So disappointing. I was really looking forward to this one based on the advertisements... Seemed like it could be a Knives Out, Clue, 1980s Fantasy Island mashup. Instead, it was just very bad. The acting is terrible - stilted and forced all around. The female lead has no range at all, maintaining the same stupid and usually inappropriate smirk throughout the entire film. The male lead is better by a hair and could possibly be decent with a different actress but I don't know that I'd count on it. The rest of the cast is only marginally better but the movie doesn't really give anyone a chance to shine. The story was choppy and disjointed, downright ridiculous at points, and dull, dull, dull. It's truly a shame because, while you know you're not getting world renowned writing or acting with Hallmark originals, the story did have potential to be an enjoyable mystery. The one that premiered the week prior, Mystery in G Major with Tamara Mowry, was super amazingly good. I'm hoping that series gets picked up and this one does not, at least not without a complete cast overhaul and different writing team.

What could be more fun than going to an immersive mystery island. Here, the rich pay $10k a night to dress up in black tie, eat fab food, enjoyed bottomless tumblers of cocktails and try to solve a murder mystery. Dr. Emilia Priestly has arrived to this island with her pal Baroness Jane. Alcott. Emilia is a psychiatrist for the Metropolitan police in London. After a terrifying encounter with a subject, she takes some time off to pivot. Does she need to rethink her career?

Once they arrive to Mystery Island, they meet the other well-appointed guests, that is after Emilia bumps into and meets the dishy Detective Jason Trent. They are all the original investors of Mystery Island. (Although in the photo of the original investors there is also a fun cameo of two fan-favorites-I will not spoil!). However, the founder of Mystery Island, John Murtaugh, is a recluse and did not come out to the island.

This sets up this Hallmark movie for a very clever 123 minutes of fun, clues, and mystery. This is a wonderfully over the top movie. All the actors take their role and make it dramatic and memorable. More than that, the ending is a very VERY Christie-Like ending. Most of all, this movie does not take itself too seriously. There are plenty of jokes about mystery writers versus detective work. That was entertaining.

If you love mystery, this is great movie to watch. If you are weary of the baker/caterer/matchmaker sleuth who breaks into other people's homes etc then this is for you. This movie is luxurious, well-written and well-acted. There are enough suspects without it being too confusing. Yes, I figured out the whodunit early on--but I didn't have all the details put together.

I have already rewatched it and still found it fascinating.

I thought the movie was cute, kind of a throw back to simpler times of "who done it" type movies. It was nice to be able to watch a movie with the family without the gore of typical murder mysteries. Hallmark movies in general are kind of hokey so in my opinion this fits with their style. It reminded me of the game CLUE, a little bit silly but again something you could watch as a family and enjoy.

I like that the filming company used both local talent and hired from England. The scenery was amazing and it was great to see Panama on the big screen as my mother was born and raised there. BBC I saw at the beginning the Cuna I Diana sitting at the port selling their wares.

This movie was a perfect way to catch up on my sleep; 2 hours of total boredom! The whole premise was overwhelmingly ridiculous, and the acting was terrible, and totally unbelievable. I certainly hope that The Hallmark Channel doesn't have any plans to turn it into a regular series, because there's no way that they could make anything worse than this was. The setting was the only thing that made this even remotely watchable, but it was exceedingly difficult to stay awake long enough to watch this. I'm usually a fan of the Hallmark Channel films, but this one might make me swear off of them for a while.

A decent attempt at something different for hallmark but the way it comes off feels patronizing. Would anyone really pay $10,000 a day to go to an island mansion that seemingly has no special ammenities? It might be all-inclusive but doesn't seem to include anything to do other than eat and drink. The characters, minus one or two of the male guests, are completely static; there is no growth or development and they leave the island the same as they arrived. Which i suppose isn't unlike reality but makes for an empty feeling movie. There is a scene where the two friends are sitting on a bed in a darkened room talking while wearing long dresses with empire waistlines that feels like something out of Sense and Sensibility and that kind of says it all about them. Elizabeth's concerned face looks like she's about to cry, otherwise she just looks smug. They try to make her character more empathetic by giving her a two lines about her father's recent death but that is more to check off the hallmark list of requisites (a dead parent or two). Kezia's character is more likeable, if rather silly, but does not carry herself like someone born to nobility. The women all try to sneak around the mansion in high heels on bare floors. In fact, they wear heels ALL the time. If hallmark is so worried about trying to make their actresses appear tall, hire some tall actresses. Either that or acknowledge that they aren't and let the ladies wear flats/sneakers. The common detective orders the police chief to collect evidence, and she does! Not to mention the evidence they use to solve the case, half of which is kept from the audience until the grand reveal, is so highly improbable as to not establish reasonable doubt.