Murder Mystery 2 review: Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston's Netflix sequel is breezy but disappoints as a suspense comedy

2.5/5

When their friend the Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar) is abducted at his own extravagant wedding, Nick (Adam Sandler) and Audrey Spitz (Jennifer Aniston), now full-time detectives working to launch their own private eye agency, find themselves at the centre of an international kidnapping.

When Murder Mystery came out in 2019, it was a fun time for OTT, where new content was just emerging and much of it turned out to be quite enjoyable. From June 2019 to March 2023, OTT changed the face of entertainment in every way possible. We have been given important information while also dealing with several other problems. Murder Mystery 2 has premiered at a point where "whodunnit" is the easiest question to answer.

This time, after starting their own detective agency, Nick and Audrey are still struggling to meet their financial needs. They are trying their level best to become better detectives, but the US is definitely not meant for that. After their Europe trip, the NYPD cop and his hairdresser wife needed another Europe trip to show they are smart detectives. This time, they are invited to the Maharajah's wedding, which is taking place on a private island. Adeel Akhtar is among the few actors who reprise their roles from the original, apart from John Kani as Colonel Ulenga.

The wedding, with no surprises, is the place where a murder takes place and the Maharajah gets kidnapped. In no time, the usual suspects appear, like before, with Nick and Audrey also among them. However, they put on their detective hats to save themselves and find out who kidnapped the Maharajah.

Murder Mystery 2 is enjoyable, if one must say it minimalistically. However, it becomes too predictable that the last act ends up being a disappointment after the buildup it made. We know the level of Adam Sandler's comedy films, and this comes below par when it comes to the landing of some lines. The actor's mere presence is sometimes enough to elevate the film. I will never forget the cringe comedy That's My Boy. But Sandler even gave a funny performance. However, Murder Mystery 2 lacks that depth, even for a brainless comedy.

The deadly combination of these two actors fails to make this a memorable one like its first instalment, which had a high replay value. Netflix a few months ago offered Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and Murder Mystery somehow or another gave me a sense of déjà vu by the end of it. You know who has done it, but we have to wait until Audrey fulfils her Paris dream.

Well, she does, and Jennifer Aniston gets to do the best action and comes out as the smartest person in the room too. The actor passes with flying colours, literally, and that's just one of the treats the film offers.

James Vanderbilt, who has written a lot of popular movies like The Break-Up and The Wedding Ringer, was asked to write this one by Jeremy Garelick, who has written a lot of popular movies. However, it turns out to be a weak screenplay with sugarcoating tropes that don't work in its favour, despite having action and comedy in place.

People have noticed that India has put itself on the entertainment map of the world in the past few years. Thus, this time, having an Indian wedding setup almost works, until the elephant walks in. The women, like Jennifer, Mélanie Laurent, and Jodie Turner-Smith, look beautiful in lehengas and dress to kill. Even Adam, for that matter, looks uber cool in a sherwani.

Mark Strong plays a former member of MI6 who comes to the scene with a bestselling book in order to solve the mystery. The movie turns into a screwed-up action comedy once our heroes get all the weapons and chase a van to the end. However, this is an old and somewhat standard template that is less unique than the film's screwball chaos.

The anti-climactic climax is on the Eiffel Tower, and we get fire, guns, and a beautiful chemistry between Adam and Jennifer. That's where Murder Mystery 2 wins; the electrifying equation both the actors have for being detectives is what makes their marriage work. Moreover, they can only be the best detectives when they are on vacation. However, it's always a massacre until they finally find out who did it, man!

The film has nothing to do with the title, as there's not such an important murder and there's no mystery to it. However, the oddball execution makes it a winner and a loser too.

For a streaming film, this is all you can expect, as it just becomes a temporary part of your movie library over the weekend. Murder Mystery 2 is enjoyable yet not so entertaining, as predictability spoils the oddball game.