clue common sense movie review

Clue (1985)

• Parents Guide

Certification

• Sex & Nudity (2)
• Violence & Gore (6)
• Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking (1)
• Frightening & Intense Scenes (2)
• Spoilers (1)

Sex & Nudity

• Mild 74 of 134 found this mild Severity? None 21 Mild 74 Moderate 34 Severe 5 We were unable to submit your evaluation. Please try again later.
• In one scene, before the maid sits down on the couch, she lifts her skirt and back down very fast, revealing her panties for a quick second. Edit
• Lots of sexual humor and references and double entendres, much of which can definitely go over a kid's head - such as references to flies and being "exposed". Edit

Violence & Gore

• Mild 59 of 78 found this mild Severity? None 3 Mild 59 Moderate 14 Severe 2 We were unable to submit your evaluation. Please try again later.
• A woman hits a man in the crotch with her knee out of anger. Edit
• A woman is stabbed in the back (seen from in front of her). When her body is found, there is little blood seen. Her body is comedically carried to others places in the house, and is dropped at one point. Edit
• A woman is shown being strangled to death by a rope noose in one scene, and again in flashbacks. Edit
• An off-duty police officer is killed by being hit over the head with a lead pipe. Edit
• A woman is shot to death (no blood), and the shooting is seen again in flashbacks. Edit
• Two men shoot at each other, with one of them killed (no blood). Edit
• Mild 41 of 79 found this mild Severity? None 32 Mild 41 Moderate 3 Severe 3 We were unable to submit your evaluation. Please try again later.

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

• Mild 64 of 76 found this mild Severity? None 5 Mild 64 Moderate 6 Severe 1 We were unable to submit your evaluation. Please try again later.
• Various characters casually drink alcohol including cognac and whiskey, and some are occasionally seen smoking - unsurprising, as the film is set in 1954. Edit

Frightening & Intense Scenes

• Mild 42 of 73 found this mild Severity? None 18 Mild 42 Moderate 13 Severe 0 We were unable to submit your evaluation. Please try again later.
• Vicious guard dogs are depicted in the opening scene and one later scene. Edit
• Various characters are unnerved by creepy attics, cellars and darkened rooms in an old mansion, particularly after a power failure. Edit

The Parents Guide items below may give away important plot points.

• A man is shot at, pretends to be dead, and is later bashed on the head with a candlestick. His corpse depicts lots of blood on his forehead. Edit

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‘Clue’ Review: A Whodunit That Looks a Lot Like a Board Game

This Paper Mill Playhouse production is a welcome throwback to an era of physical comedy.

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By Juan A. Ramírez

“Clue,” the campy 1985 film based on the popular board game, became a cult classic because of an all-star cast delivering delicious mile-a-minute quips. A new stage production , adapted by Sandy Rustin from Jonathan Lynn’s screenplay, with additional material by Hunter Foster and Eric Price, may not be the out-and-out hoot the film is, but the show is a very fun, very silly 1950s-set whodunit that strikes some contemporary parallels on the way to its grand reveal.

As the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings drone on a television set, the eager-to-please butler, Wadsworth (an agile Mark Price), prepares for the arrival of his boss’s six guests, invited under undisclosed circumstances and each assigned aliases for the night.

There’s a handsy shrink, Professor Plum (Michael Kostroff); the vivacious madame, Miss Scarlet (Sarah Hollis); and Mr. Green (Alex Mandell), a gay Republican who is hiding the fact that he didn’t vote for Eisenhower in the last election. These three play straight against the production’s broader comics: the dimwitted Col. Mustard (John Treacy Egan, with excellent timing); Mrs. White (Donna English), a multiple divorcée; and Mrs. Peacock (Kathy Fitzgerald, hilarious), a senator’s wife with a drinking problem who dresses like an American Girl doll. (Jen Caprio did the costumes.)

They soon discover that their ties to Washington, ranging from the morally murky to the criminal, have landed them on the wrong end of a blackmailing scheme. After their host, Mr. Boddy (Graham Stevens), arrives, he adds McCarthyism blacklisting to their worries. The lights turn off, things — specifically a candlestick, a wrench, a lead pipe, a revolver, a rope and a dagger — go bump in the night, and Mr. Boddy winds up dead, with the dwindling survivors scrambling to make sense of it all.

“Is this about the Red Scare?” Mr. Green whimpers. Released in the Reagan era, the film was a pointed satire of conservative hypocrisy. Though the stage version begins with a strong undercurrent of paranoia, which reads believably as both Covid-19 apprehensions and a paralyzing fear of outing yourself as possibly cancelable, it mostly drops politics once the “big scary mansion” high jinks get underway. The plot’s whodunit structure is a surefire farce setup, but given the state of U.S. affairs, the production could have used a stronger political backbone.

Casey Hushion directs with a steady eye toward possible laughs, and Lee Savage’s set conveys an appropriately stuffy mansion, with hidden passages and falling chandeliers. The finely tuned cast scurrying about to convince a stray cop (Kolby Kindle) that the propped-up corpses are merely having a good time is a welcome throwback to an era of physical comedy that’s been mostly usurped by sarcasm.

Wadsworth’s conclusive explanations — a clever take on the film’s notorious alternate endings, which played at different theaters — make a case that what was then dismissed as a marketing gimmick was actually an early predecessor of today’s multiverses. As those left standing rush to blame one another, in different possible scenarios, they mirror our own increasingly selfish desire to think of our perception as being the correct one. Like the board game, and life itself, the play winds up making only one perception true — but thank goodness this one’s fun.

Clue Through Feb. 20 at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, N.J.; papermill.org . Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

An earlier version of this article misspelled an actor’s surname. He is John Treacy Egan, not Eagan.

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• TV Listings
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Clue Reviews

• 41   Metascore
• 1 hr 34 mins
• Comedy, Suspense
• Watchlist Where to Watch

The whodunit board game comes to life as guests are invited to a swanky mansion to learn who is blackmailing them.

Easily one of the most gimmicky films of all time, CLUE must be the only movie in history to be adapted from a popular board game. Set in 1954, CLUE sees a butler, Tim Curry, greet six guests who have been called together at a mysterious old mansion. Martin Mull is a stuffy military man, Lesley Ann Warren is a sultry madam, Christopher Lloyd is a professor, Michael McKean is a homosexual civil servant, Eileen Brennan is a senator's wife, and Madeline Kahn is a widowed society dowager. Curry assigns the guests pseudonyms (Professor Plum, Miss Scarlet, etc.), and after dinner, weapons are passed out to the guests (a noose, a pistol, a lead pipe, a dagger, etc.--all matching the pieces in the board game). Shortly thereafter a murder is committed and the guests must deduce who among them is the culprit, (the cause of death is ambiguous). With the board game premise as the first gimmick, the filmmakers then attached the second gimmick: The movie has three different endings, and the one the audience saw depended on which movie theater they saw it in. During its theatrical run, newspaper ads noted whether moviegoers would see ending A, B, or C at their local theater. (The videocassette release shows all three endings, one after another.)

Clue (1985) - 4K UHD Review

Razor-sharp.  This essentially describes the wit of Clue and this new 2023 4K upgrade of the classic comedy.  It’s the movie with three different endings, remember?  And, if you remember that, you also remember that you had to go to different theaters to see the different endings.  It was an ingenious marketing ploy by Paramount , reminiscent of what William Castle did with his movies: anything to get butts in seats.  Does Clue need multiple endings?  Probably not, but they are all so damn funny no one is going to mind that they are all included here in Shout Select ’s 4K upgrade to this cult comedy classic.

Directed by Jonathan Lynn , who co-wrote the script with John Landis , and produced by Debra Hill , even if the cast was sub-par, this black comedy would be in good hands.  Thankfully, the cast - featuring wonderfully over-the-top performances from Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Michael McKean, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren , and Colleen Camp as  Yvette, a voluptuous French maid - is up for the challenge of a madcap whodunnit and they deliver in spades. 

Clue , which is based on the board game, is what happens when six strangers are invited to a mysterious New England mansion by Mr. Boddy, who has been blackmailing all of them.  Everyone is given a new name so that there is some confidentiality in the proceedings - "Colonel Mustard", "Mrs. White", "Mrs. Peacock", "Mr. Green", "Professor Plum", and "Miss Scarlet" - and are introduced to some key weapons - a candlestick, rope, lead pipe, wrench, revolver, and dagger - and, as expected, Boddy is killed when the lights go out.  Which of the guests did it?!

With the police on their way and everyone pointing fingers at each other, all sorts of fun breaks out as the guests - now going by their pseudonyms - try and figure out just who - and with what weapon - killed their host.  And then the cook.  And then a random motorist.  Was it Professor Plum in the library with the candlestick?  Was it Colonel Mustard in the study with the rope?  The innuendos are all over the place and the hi-jinx come in rapid fire accusations as the guests scramble through the mansion from one room to another, comic moments following each random line and murder!

Clue , at the time of its release, wasn’t a box office draw by any means.  It’s unfortunate because the performances are both manic and fun and the uniqueness of the whole project, being based on a board game, seems to have been lost on the audience at the time of the film’s release.  But time is a funny thing as Clue is now considered a cult classic and has quite the reputation for being a funny, twisting, black comedy.

And now, thanks to the efforts of Shout Select , the film arrives with a 4K upgrade which absolutely delivers a perfect image for the guests arriving in the rain to this mysterious mansion!  Game on!

4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition

Home Video Distributor: Shout! Select Available on Blu-ray - December 12, 2023 Screen Formats: 1.85:1 Subtitles : English SDH Video: Codec: HEVC / H.265; Resolution: Native 4K; HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A

Was it Colonel Mustard in the study with the gun? Miss Scarlet in the billiard room with the rope? Or was it Wadsworth the butler? Meet all of the notorious suspects and discover all of their foul playthings. You'll love their dastardly doings as the bodies and the laughs pile up before your eyes. Here is the murderously funny movie based on the world-famous CLUE board game and brought to crackling life by an all-star cast including Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Brennan, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren, Michael McKean, Colleen Camp , and more! And now you can see all three surprise endings!

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the new 4K digital restoration is presented in Dolby Vision HDR and you can definitely tell!  From the beginning in the rain to the very ending, this 4K handling is perfect.  Created from the 35 mm original camera negative, the results are fantastic. Especially considering the amount of darkness and shadows in this predominantly night-time film, the exposure, color, and range is excellent. The depth, detail, and clarity are all impressive and healthy, and the grain exposure is very pleasing. There are no visible signs of any imperfections to be seen. A top-notch restoration.

The new uncompressed monaural soundtrack is wonderful. All dialogue, ambient noises, and music come in clear as can be. And the track is even able to greatly show off dynamic range in moments of intense audio or music. Nothing but good stuff here

Supplements:

Commentary :

Unfortunately, nothing.

Special Features:

Fans get a couple of new supplementals, but the image upgrade is worth the price of admission.

DISC ONE (4K UHD):

• NEW Remastered From A 2023 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative In Dolby Vision (HDR-10 Compatible) Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono 3 Different Surprise Endings

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):

• NEW Remastered From A 2023 4K Scan Of The Original Camera Negative
• Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
• NEW “The Perfect Motive: Directing Clue” – An Interview With Writer/Director Jonathan Lynn
• NEW “The Scene of the Crime: Producing Clue” – An Interview With Associate Producer Jeffrey Chernov
• NEW “Not Just a Game: Scoring Clue” – An Interview With Film Music Historian Daniel Schweiger About John Morris’s Score 3 Different Surprise Endings
• Original Trailer

MPAA Rating: PG. Runtime: 94 mins Director : Jonathan Lynn Writer: John Landis; Jonathan Lynn; Anthony E. Pratt Cast: Eileen Brennan; Tim Curry; Madeline Kahn Genre : Comedy | Crime Tagline: It's Not Just a Game Anymore. Memorable Movie Quote: "You want it? You want it? Eat it! Eat it till ya choke, you sick, twisted fuck!" Theatrical Distributor: Columbia Pictures Official Site: Release Date: November 30, 1990 DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 12, 2021. Synopsis : Okay, fine. One plus two plus one... Shut up! The point is, there is one bullet left in this gun and guess who's gonna get it!

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Where to Watch

Watch Get a Clue with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Prime Video, or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV.

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Screen Rant

Which clue ending is the best.

The comedic murder mystery movie Clue has three different endings, but they are all vastly different in terms of their quality and their plausibility.

Clue is a classic murder mystery caper, but it was released with three different endings, only one of which is the best. Clue follows Mr. Boddy and his Butler as they host a dinner party for several dinner guests, all of whom work in or around government jobs, and none of whom completely know each other. They all have something in common, however: they're being blackmailed by Mr. Boddy, as he knows their darkest secrets. When the lights go out, and he's murdered, every guest becomes a suspect, as it was advantageous to any one of them if he was dead. What follows is a lot more murder and betrayal.

Clue was originally released theatrically with a gimmick : each print of the film offered one of three endings. The version found on home video today includes all the endings played in a row. They follow the title cards " How It Might Have Happened ," " How About This ," and " Here's What Really Happened ." The three Clue endings are vastly different in terms of their quality and their plausibility, and one stands out as the best.

RELATED: Psych - Every Clue Movie Actor That Returned In The 100 Clues Episode

The Ending Where Miss Scarlet Is The Murderer

In the first Clue ending, the murderer is Miss Scarlet, who had Mr. Boddy killed because he knew about her underground brothel in Washington D.C. She killed almost every victim herself, but she also had an accomplice, Yvette, who killed the Cook and Mr. Boddy. Scarlet had power over Yvette, as she was a former employee of the brothel. This is the best ending in terms of plausibility and surprise, as everything adds up, but Scarlet was never the most or least suspected. Scarlet is one of the smartest Clue characters , and it makes sense that she'd use her power of authority to force Yvette into murdering someone.

The Ending Where Mrs. Peacock Is The Murderer

The second Clue ending reveals that Mrs. Peacock murdered everyone all by herself. She didn't even have an accomplice. The character is the wife of a U.S. Senator, and Mr. Boddy knew she took bribes from foreign powers. Mrs. Peacock was the least suspected character throughout the movie, but that's because she didn't actually stand to gain or lose much by killing Mr. Boddy, as she could've simply blamed everything on her husband. Other characters had a lot more to gain and lose, which makes Mrs. Peacock's ending the least plausible, especially as she can't even lift the lead pipe above her head. But that's what makes it so entertaining.

The Ending Where Everyone Is A Murderer

The endings become increasingly farfetched as they go on, with the third and final ending revealing that nearly every Clue character is a killer . Everybody was murdering each other to cover their own backs, which is easily the most unbelievable ending. However, there is some logic behind it: if one person has already killed someone, this makes it a lot easier for other people to follow suit. While this ending creates a number of plot holes, it's the most satisfying, especially when it's revealed that Wadsworth is really Mr. Boddy, and Mr. Green, who had been a pushover for the whole movie, is really an FBI agent.

The Best Ending Of Clue

Ultimately, while any one of the three endings could be considered the best for different reasons, having all the options included together is the actual best possible conclusion to the movie. This unique way of ending the story is why Clue is the best murder mystery movie , as audiences can choose which ending they want to be the definitive one for themselves. Clue would undoubtedly have been more critically and commercially successful if it was released theatrically in this form back in 1985. Hopefully, the planned Ryan Reynolds-led remake will feature multiple endings, too, and include all of them together from the start.

MORE: 10 Things That Make No Sense About Clue

Cast & Crew

Eileen Brennan

Mrs. Peacock

Wadsworth the Butler

Madeline Kahn

Lesley Ann Warren

Miss Scarlet

Martin Mull

Colonel Mustard

Tedious movie based on board game; some innuendo, violence.

• Average 6.4

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© 1985 by Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

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"So, OK, you're probably like - what is this, a Noxzema commercial? First words of "Clueless" That's exactly what I was like. The hand-held camera was tilting crazily, showing the sun-blessed teenagers of Southern California, and I'm like - what is this, an MTV video? Then Cher says the line and breaks the ice. Not Cher who won the Oscar. Cher, the heroine of this movie. A little later, she explains that she and her friend Dionne "were both named after great singers of the past that now do infomercials." (She adds, "She's my friend because we both know what it is to have people be jealous of us.") "Clueless" is a smart and funny movie, and the characters are in on the joke. Cher ( Alicia Silverstone ), who lives in a mansion and looks like Cybill Shepherd , is capable of lines like, "Why learn to park when every place you go has a valet?" But she puts a little satirical spin on them. She is one of the most totally self-absorbed characters in a movie since the heroes of "Wayne's World," and yet she isn't a victim, and we get the idea she will grow up tough and clever, like her dad ( Dan Hedaya ).

He's a big-time lawyer, a litigator who is always working on big cases. In most movies like this, he would therefore be a blundering, insensitive oaf with a microscopic IQ. Not here. He knows everything that's going on, cares for his daughter, is protective of her, and tells a kid taking her out on a date: "If anything happens to her, I got a .45 and a shovel. I don't think you'll be missed." Also looking out for Cher is her stepbrother (Paul Rudd) by one of her dad's earlier marriages. Family trees have many branches in these circles.

Cher and Dionne live in Beverly Hills and go to one of those high schools where the students look like they've posed for the cover of Sassy. They have longsuffering teachers such as Mr. Hall ( Wallace Shawn ) and Miss Geist (Twink Caplan), who both give Cher bad grades.

She is not discouraged. She knows that happy teachers give higher grades, and convinces each teacher that the other is a secret admirer. "You negotiated your way from a C to an A?" her dad asks.

"Honey, I couldn't be happier than if they were based on real grades." Cher doesn't have a regular boyfriend. Then she gets a crush on a new kid named Christian (Justin Walker) and explains the wiles she will use to capture him. At the same time, she persuades Dionne ( Stacey Dash ) to help her increase the popularity of a hopeless new girl named Tai ( Brittany Murphy ). She explains her party strategy: Pretend to be having a good time, pretend not to notice the guy you're interested in, and laugh and dance a lot. Also, "sometimes you have to show a little skin. This reminds guys of being naked, and then they think of sex." The movie was written and directed by Amy Heckerling , who made " Fast Times at Ridgemont High " (1982). This film, about different kinds of kids in a much different kind of school, is much better. But like the earlier film, which introduced Jennifer Jason Leigh , Sean Penn , Phoebe Cates , Forest Whitaker and Judge Reinhold , it may make some stars.

Alicia Silverstone and Stacey Dash display the knack of suggesting that their characters are not limited by their airhead dialogue and teen queen behavior. They talk that way, and do those things, but with a sly humor that suggests they're putting themselves on. ("What'd you do in school today?" "Broke in my purple clogs.") And their motives are essentially pure. They want to help out poor Tai because she doesn't have a clue. After they have completed their makeover of her face and wardrobe and given away all their boy-catching tricks, Tai becomes popular and not very nice. And in the way the girls handle this development, they reveal some quiet insights.

The movie is aimed at teenagers, but like all good comedies, it will appeal to anyone who has a sense of humor and an ear for the ironic.

Heckerling walks a fine line between satire and put-on, but she finds it, and her dialogue could be anthologized. You have to like a movie with lines such as: "Searching for high grades in high school is like searching for meaning in a Pauly Shore movie." Or this excuse in P.E. class: "My plastic surgeon doesn't want me doing any activity where balls fly at my nose." The answer to that, which cannot be printed here, may be worth at least a third of the price of admission, all by itself.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Clueless (1995)

Rated PG-13

Stacey Dash as Dionne

Brittany Murphy as Tai

Paul Rudd as Josh

Alicia Silverstone as Cher

Dan Hedaya as Cher's Father

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• Amy Heckerling

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‘Clue’ TV & Film Rights Snapped Up By Sony Pictures In Hasbro Deal

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Clue is set to get another crack at the remake treatment.

Sony Pictures has landed the TV and film rights to the board game that was turned into the iconic 1985 movie starring Tim Curry.

Sony Pictures Television and TriStar Pictures closed the competitive deal with Hasbro Entertainment, which has been shopping the rights about over the last few months following its split with eOne.

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Produced by Debra Hill, it infamously featured a number of different endings.

There have been a number of attempts to reboot Clue both in film and television.

In 2011, Universal Studios revealed it was setting up a new movie, then Hasbro teamed yp with Gore Verbinski. Fox attempted a version in 2016, Ryan Reynolds was at one point planning to star in a version , with Jason Bateman in talks to direct . The latest attempt in film came from director James Bobin in 2020 and Oren Uziel was hired to write a script.

On the television front, The Amber Ruffin Show’s Dewayne Perkins was developing an animated version for Fox with Tim Story as exec producer. That project came from Hasbro’s eOne and Fox’s Bento Box Entertainment but was never greenlit.

Sony Pictures Television now has the rights to develop scripted and unscripted television projects

It is the latest deal for Hasbro since Lionsgate acquired eOne in a $500M deal last year. The toy company struck a deal with Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap , which was behind smash hit Barbie , for the rights to turn Monopoly into a movie with Lionsgate.

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Moritz Mohr's first feature draws on a great many sources, from video games to "The Hunger Games," to build a world all its own.

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Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

• ‘Humane’ Review: Caitlin Cronenberg’s First Feature Is a Searing Domestic Thriller About Crimes of the Not-So-Distant Future 1 day ago
• ‘Boy Kills World’ Review: Bill Skarsgård Is a Deaf-Mute Avenger in an Action Film So Ultraviolent It’s Like ‘John Wick’ Gone ‘Clockwork Orange’ 3 days ago
• ‘Uncropped’ Review: An Enticing Portrait of James Hamilton Makes You Wonder: Is He the Greatest New York Photographer Ever? 5 days ago

In “ Boy Kills World ,” Bill Skarsgård has burning eyes and model cheekbones, sinewy arms popping out of a dirty red athletic vest, and a feral pout that makes him look like Jean-Claude Van Damme crossed with Lou Reed. He plays a deaf-mute avenger, known only as Boy, who kills people in insanely violent ways. Yet through it all, the character retains his innocence. He’s a wounded wild child in a man’s body.

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So what does it say that in a movie like “Boy Kills World,” that level of cheeky dark sadism has been turned into a pure lark — the new extreme threshold of mainstream entertainment? The fact that this is what we now seek out for kicks may be scarier than anything in “A Clockwork Orange.”

Yet the pop culture of the last 50 years has primed us for it: the slasher movies, the video games, the high-body-count delirium of the “John Wick” series, which may have been the first films to package this kind of relentlessness as cutthroat jollies for the megaplex. The kill-kill-kill spirit of “John Wick” made a film like “Boy Kills World” possible, yet “Boy Kills World” takes it all a step further. It’s the action film as slasher movie as gonzo damaged-superhero movie. It’s a depraved vision, yet I got caught up in its kick-ass revenge-horror pizzazz, its disreputable commitment to what it was doing.

Boy, who can read lips, understands most of what’s happening around him, and he reacts to events by talking directly to us on the soundtrack, in an exaggerated he-man voice (like Mel Gibson’s in “Mad Max”). You could say that the movie, in a way, cheats the fact that he can’t speak, but Boy’s quips-from-his-inner-voice lend “Boy Kills World” a graphic-novel funkiness.

Boy has gone out into the world to right its wrongs, but what’s standing atop the pyramid isn’t the usual stoic power addict. It’s a dysfunctional family of rulers who are at each other’s throats. Mohr, working from a script by Tyler Burton Smith and Arend Remmers, has fun fleshing out these baroque villains. I enjoyed Brett Gelman as the bearded brother who’s like a diamond-district chiseler who thinks he’s a brilliant screenwriter, and Famke Janssen as the matriarch who’s losing her mind. As the dynasty’s media ringleader, Sharlto Copley does his showboat thing (and gets what he deserves). Mohr stages the Culling as the spectacular slaughterhouse version of a winter-wonderland TV commercial. It’s a sequence that would make Alex from “A Clockwork Orange” stand and applaud in glee.  

There’s a big twist — or really, two in one. The state soldier, named June27 (Jessica Rothe), who speaks in slogans flashed onto her digital combat visor turns out to be closer to home than we think. And a character we assume is heroic is revealed to be an emotionally broken monster. All of that succeeds in holding our attention, and the climactic fight — a threesome — is shot and choreographed with brutal visual wizardry. It’s all held together by Skarsgård’s performance, and the trick of it is that you never catch him playing dumb. Yet Boy is often a beat behind what’s happening. That’s what makes us warm up to him; he’s a blood-spattered avenger in spite of himself. He turns the old ultraviolence into child’s play.

Reviewed at Regal Union Square, New York, April 24, 2024. MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 115 MIN.

• Production: A Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions release of a Nthibah Pictures, Hammerstone Studios, Vertigo Entertainment production. Producers: Sam Raimi, Zainab Azizi, Roy Lee, Wayne Fitzjohn, Simon Swart, Stuart Manashil, Dan Kagan. Executive producers: Sipho Nkosi, Mxolisi Mgojo, Humphrey Mathe, Bill Skarsgård, Reza Brojerdi, Christian Mercuri, Moritz Mohr, Andrew Childs.
• Crew: Director: Moritz Mohr. Screenplay: Tyler Burton Smith, Arend Remmers. Camera: Peter Matjasko. Editor: Lucian Barnard. Music: Ludvig Forssell, El Michels Affair.
• With: Bill Skarsgård, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Jamke Janssen, Sharlto Copley, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Andrew Koji.

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‘dead boy detectives’ review: netflix’s ‘sandman’ spinoff is a fast, fun binge.

The series centers on a pair of teenage ghosts who take on supernatural cases while trying to avoid getting sent on to the afterlife.

By Angie Han

Television Critic

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In tried-and-true TV fashion Dead Boy Detectives splits each of its eight episodes between monster-of-the-week procedural storylines (or whatever we’re calling them in the Netflix era) and serialized teen drama. The first case of theirs we follow is both: After the lads take on an assignment to rescue Crystal (Kassius Nelson) from her demonic ex (David Iacono), she becomes the third member of the crime-solving team. Ostensibly, her psychic powers make her an ideal liaison between the boys and the living, who cannot see or hear them.

But it doesn’t hurt that Charles, a punkish charmer from the 1980s, has the hots for her — to the irritation of Edwin, a World War I-era bookworm whose affection for his best mate has grown more than friendly. And so, in a room rented from a surly goth butcher (Briana Cuoco’s Jenny), the now-trio take on all manner of spooky supernatural adventures while sorting out their feelings about each other and themselves.

Meanwhile, the guys (and the gals — Yuyu Kitamura rounds out the core clique as Niko, a sweetly daffy neighbor) wrestle with more relatable journeys of self-discovery. By far the most successful of these is Edwin’s, as he tentatively opens himself up to the possibility of romance. Rexstrew’s bashful curiosity reminds us that although Edwin’s been kicking around for over a century, he is still, in some ways, just an adolescent figuring himself out.

But the others are more hit or miss, struggling to maintain either their momentum (a storyline about Charles’ anger issues dissipates almost as suddenly as it arose) or their weight (Crystal’s revelations about the source of her powers come too out of left field to land with the intended emotional impact). The Dead Boy Detective Agency’s driving motivation is a poignant one — “Our deaths didn’t matter, and no one ever solved them,” Edwin explains, and every case they crack is in an effort to ensure other souls aren’t forgotten the way they were. But in general, the series seems reluctant to delve too heavily into the angst, lest it drag down the mood.

But the true heart of the series lies in the bond between Charles and Edwin, which over the decades has crystallized into a loyalty even deeper than friendship. At some point in the past, Charles made the decision to forgo a blissful afterlife in favor of eternity on Earth with Edwin; after spending a bit of time amid their true-blue bond, it’s easy to understand why.

As for Dead Boy Detectives itself, the series might not inspire quite that level of devotion, at least in its solid-but-not-sensational first season. But it’s the sort of consistently likable amusement that in Charles’s 1980s heyday might have become long-running appointment viewing — and that we in the 2020s get to enjoy as a zippy, satisfying binge.

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Common sense media reviewers.

Dystopian horror with bloody mayhem and a climate theme.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

The movie is a clear cautionary tale about the dan

Even the most likable character here, Noel, is a d

Noel, the movie's most likable character, is playe

Set in a time when climate change and overpopulati

Reference to "booty call." Dialogue about a romant

Language includes many uses of "f--k" or "f---ing,

A main character is said to be a recovering addict

Parents need to know that Humane is an uneven futuristic/dystopian horror movie in which people are compensated for volunteering to be euthanized. It focuses on the conflict between four wealthy siblings after their father goes through the procedure. Violence can be intense, with deaths, gory corpses, threats…

Positive Messages

The movie is a clear cautionary tale about the dangers of climate change and the unchecked, unfair privilege of wealthy White people. It's also about how people somehow manage to justify our abominable behavior against one another.

Positive Role Models

Even the most likable character here, Noel, is a damaged person who resorts to violence to defend himself.

Diverse Representations

Noel, the movie's most likable character, is played by Sebastian Chacon, who's of Colombian and Ecuadorian descent. He's in a loving, interracial relationship with Grace (Black actor Blessing Adedijo); she only appears in two scenes, but her presence is important. Another woman, a chef named Dawn, is played by Korean actor Uni Park. Other characters of color appear in smaller or background roles. Jared (Jay Baruchel), who's White, tries to explain to his brother why he's not racist but uses racist language in the process. One of the movie's themes is related to the privilege of wealthy, White Americans. The movie's climate disaster is blamed by some on something called "the Asian Collapse," which causes racial hatred and violence against China, India, and Japan. Dawn's restaurant was burned down by racists. An adopted family member is targeted by other members of his family.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Set in a time when climate change and overpopulation have made daily life deadly. People are asked to volunteer for euthanasia to make resources more widely available. Threats with guns and knives; people are shot (including fatally) and stabbed (in the chest, hand, neck). Gory corpses, bloody wounds, knives painfully yanked out of wounds. Blood spurts. Finger pressed into open wound. Wound cauterized with hot spoon. Characters are hit in head and groin with baseball bat and the butt of gun. People punched in the face. Bloody nose, bloody tooth yanked out, blood-soaked towels. Choking. Spraying with mace. One character quietly killed by three injections. Dead bodies hauled away. Fighting. Descriptions of climate change-related disasters -- images of fires, riots, etc. Violent outbursts, tantrums. Arguing. Vague dialogue about a fatal accident. Character referred to as a bully. Character is a pharma executive whose pills, it's said, "don't work and make women sicker and sicker."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Reference to "booty call." Dialogue about a romantic partner "having an affair."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language includes many uses of "f--k" or "f---ing," plus "s--t," "bulls--t," "a--hole," "ass," "bitch," "swear to God/for God's sake/oh my God," "Jesus f--k," "Jesus Christ/Jesus," "piss," "up your butt," "screw," "idiot," "hell," "damn."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

A main character is said to be a recovering addict who's currently not using. He met his girlfriend "in a meeting." Wine is removed from the house prior to his arrival so that no one is tempted.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Humane is an uneven futuristic/dystopian horror movie in which people are compensated for volunteering to be euthanized. It focuses on the conflict between four wealthy siblings after their father goes through the procedure. Violence can be intense, with deaths, gory corpses, threats with guns and knives, shooting, multiple stabbings, blood spurts, bloody wounds, hitting with blunt objects, disturbing images of climate-related disasters, and much more. The sibling who was adopted is ultimately targeted by the others. Strong language includes many uses of "f--k," plus "s--t," "a--hole," "ass," "bitch," "Jesus," God," "piss," "butt," "screw," "idiot," "hell," "damn," etc. There's also some sex-related dialogue ("booty call," "having an affair"). A main character is said to be a recovering addict who's currently not using. He met his girlfriend in a meeting, and wine is removed prior to his arrival. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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What's the Story?

In HUMANE, it's the near future, and climate change has worsened immeasurably. The United Nataions decrees that each industrial nation must decrease its population by 20 percent, so the United States adopts an "enlistment" program, in which "volunteers" for euthanasia will be issued a $250,000 check for their surviving family members. The wealthy Charles York ( Peter Gallagher ) summons his four children to dine with him. Under duress, TV political commentator Jared ( Jay Baruchel ); troubled mother Rachel ( Emily Hampshire ); adopted piano prodigy Noah ( Sebastian Chacon ), who has been battling addiction; and struggling actor Ashley ( Alanna Bale ) all arrive. And, despite warnings, Rachel also brings along her teen daughter, Mia ( Sirena Gulamgaus ). Charles' second wife, professional chef Dawn (Uni Park), prepares a beautiful dinner before Charles announces that they'll be "enlisting." Dawn gets cold feet and disappears before Bob ( Enrico Colantoni ) shows up to perform the procedure. The siblings say goodbye to their father, and then Bob informs them that he needs a second body to replace Dawn's. And it needs to be one of theirs. They have two hours to decide.

Is It Any Good?

A dystopian sci-fi story, a darkly comic skewering of American capitalism and greed, and a gory horror tale, this bloody movie doesn't always achieve a satisfying balance, but it's never boring. The directorial debut of photographer Caitlin Cronenberg, who's also the daughter of legendary horror master David Cronenberg , Humane begins with a hauntingly realistic depiction of climate change's dire effects, including images of people carrying reflective umbrellas to protect them from deadly sunlight. That sets an effectively oppressive tone that carries through the rest of the story.

Humane 's "eat the rich" elements are nothing new, with the characters' unethical, inhumane greed showing through, much as they try to hide it. (Outside of Bob, who occupies a different role here, there are no middle- or lower-class people to create a juxtaposition; there's no depiction of the "haves" versus the "have nots.") The stalking-and-killing section is competently handled, with viewers' affections directed toward Noah, who's clearly suffered and has come out the other side with a measure of empathy. But since his character was adopted, the others target him. By the end of Humane , it's abundantly clear that there are no heroes in this story and that the villain is humanity itself for its general disregard and apathy toward the future and our own kind.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Humane 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

What does the movie have to say about climate change? Does it offer any reasonable solutions? Is it scary enough to prompt action?

What's the movie's opinion on the privilege of wealthy, White Americans? Can you think of other movies that tackle this subject?

How is addiction portrayed in the movie? What are some of the other characters' opinions toward Noel, even though he has sought help?

Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies ? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared?

Movie Details

• In theaters : April 26, 2024
• Cast : Jay Baruchel , Emily Hampshire , Peter Gallagher
• Director : Caitlin Cronenberg
• Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors
• Studios : IFC Films , Shudder
• Genre : Horror
• Run time : 93 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : strong violence, and language throughout
• Last updated : April 25, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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