Is it awkward if I don't have anything bad to say? I mean, seriously...this film was on point (pardon the pun).
The biggest drawcard for me to see this film (other than the free tickets) was the star power behind it. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with a murder mystery, but I'm not a die hard fanatic for this genre. The idea of big ticket names participating in such a film though, piqued my interest. And boy did they deliver. Singling out one performer would not be fair, because the entire cast was engaging from start to finish and worked well as an ensemble. However, if I were held at knife point and asked to name names, I'd say I particularly enjoyed the performances of Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Toni Collette and Christopher Plummer. Did I just name half the cast? Honestly, I'm really just trying to add more substance to a paragraph that basically exclaims, "Everyone did a fabulous job!"
This film is also beautiful to look at. The characters themselves note that Harlan Thrombey's (Christopher Plummer) house looks like a Clue board, brought to life. If you've seen a trailer, you'll know this to be the case. The set is elaborate and it contains everything you'd expect in a murder mystery: arm chairs, fireplaces and portraits. That's a gross over-simplification for some really elaborate production design.
The comedy is marvellous. If you get an opportunity, you simply must watch this in the cinema. The atmosphere in the room was electric and the audience responses to all of the jokes only made the film more enjoyable. Essentially, this comedy is well-written and well-delivered by the performers. The jokes are also meta at times. This film knows that it is paying homage to Agatha Christie, and it's pretty candid about it, with one of the characters even delivering the line, "I keep waiting for the big reveal where it all makes sense".
There are also some comments about privilege and immigration in this movie. The Thrombeys, who have wanted for nothing their whole lives, share divisive opinions on immigrants throughout the film. It's a running joke that none of the characters know (or care) where Marta Cabrera (Ana de Armas) and her family are from. Comedy is used to communicate this message to the audience, and though there is no moral explicitly stated at the end of the story, the audience can hear the message loud and clear.
Being a murder mystery, there's bound to be a twist or two. This film delivers on these. I will admit, not all of the twists were complete surprises to me, but I don't really care, because this film is a lot of fun.
Go see it. There's nothing more for me to really say.