22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Under-rated and well worth watching over and over., 12 Feb 2004
"Clue" is based on the now infamous board game of the same name. However, here in the UK of course, it is more famously known as "Cluedo".
You may not have heard of a film based on a board game before, indeed I certainly haven't. However, this film contains far more to it then some un-original characters and a famous "sponser".
The film is extremely under-rated, but for me is a perfect blend of physical comedy and witty dialogue. The interatcion between the large cast of suspects and the butler (played by the fantastic Tim Curry) is fast, furious and puts many other dialogue-driven comedies to shame. But there are also some fantastic slapstick scenes, and even some tension thrown in for good measure. The film gathers momentum from the very start, getting faster and faster until the butler then frantically reveals who-did-it.
Then the film plays it's (unique?) trump card: It has three different endings. When shown in U.S. Cinemas, each theatre had a different ending. However, because of the luxuries of DVD, we have it even better. You are able to choose one of the three endings to be chosen, at random, when you view it. Because of the never-ending barrage of jokes in this film, you can re-watch it many many times, still enjoying it - and then get a different ending into the bargain!
The TV and VHS version of the film had to include all three endings in one, and this version is incuded in the DVD as well. In fact, the way the three are linked together in this version is a funny joke in itself.
Sadly, presumably because the film had to suit the multiple endings, not many facts could be revealed during the film - so you may get a little thwarted at the endings, when they reveal their secrets that you really couldn't have guessed at all from the main feature, and it may take several views of the ending(s) to really understand how it resolves. However, let's face it - you are likely to be watching the film for the comedy, and all three endings have plenty of that as well.
Sadly, the entire content of Special Features on this DVD consists of one trailer. Shame, since I expect there were many tales to be told from the produces about the multiple endings.
Overall, It's fast, atmospheric, witty and very very funny. This one is a bargain - you can watch over and over again, and still find much to keep you ammused. Highly Recommended.
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64 of 66 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
And I was in the hall. I know because I was there..., 1 May 2006
I was less than enthusiastic when the DVD version of this film was produced by my young charges while I was babysitting recently.
Ordinarily, a film based on a popular board game would not sound the most exciting of prospects, indeed it is the type of film that most sane people over the age of nine would go out of their way to avoid. However, when I discovered that it stars both Tim Curry AND Christopher Lloyd (both veritable kings of cult cinema) as well as that bloke who played the principal in the 90s TV series version of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", I decided to give it a chance.
Am I glad that I did!
The film takes a playful approach to its subject matter and, as mentioned by several reviewers on here, the script sparkles with a disproportionate number of highly quotable, expertly delivered one liners. The acting is excellent throughout, with Tim Curry's breathlessly energetic portrayal of Wadsworth, the stereotypical butler, being especially memorable.
The children, who had seen it before, enjoyed this almost as much as I did and were acting it out for the rest of the day.
The filming of three separate endings was an ingenious idea and it is worthwhile purchasing the DVD release version simply for the ability to choose to watch all three together, or to simply have one of them appear randomly at the end. The only small problem that I have with this is that there are not more special features included.
However, this is the best version I have so far been able to find of this a truely excellent movie that thoroughly deserves the cult following it has gathered over the years.
A classic!
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
To cut a long story short..., 27 May 2006
...too late! What a brilliant film! I've been watching it since I was about 7, and it gets funnier every year (as I was growing up, I wa able to understand more every time I watched it). It's a classic that no-one seems to know about.
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