Clue - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Clue



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
I guess the idea of making games into movies has been around a lot longer than modern times if you really think about it. Before Tetris, before Battleship and before the plethora of other video game titles came to theaters there was the grand daddy of them all with 1985’s Clue. A game of mystery, clues, and table top antics to find a murder seemed like a silly concept to come to movie world, but for some reason it actually WORKED despite the odds. Featuring an all star cast of 1980s greats, it kept the heart of what made Clue work on the table top and simply blended that into a 1980s murder mystery plot, winking at the camera the entire time.

As is the case with all these hard boiled mysteries, it was a dark and stormy night, and 5 guests have been invited to a hidden manor for a night of surprises. Hosted by a mysterious benefactor known as “Mr. Boddy”, and catered by the snobby butler Wadsworth (Tim Curry) and curvaceous maid Yvette (Colleen Camp), the 5 guests nervously sit around a table and eat dinner wondering what the night will bring. Turns out each of them has a secret. A very unique and special secret that Mr. Boddy has been using to blackmail them for the past several years. Professor Plum (Chrisopher Lloyd) has been having an affair with a student, Mr. Green (Michael McKean) is a high ranking government official who is a closet homosexual (a bit of a taboo back then), Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren) runs an illegal brothel, Mrs White (Madeline Kahn) is suspected of killing her husband (hint, she did it), and Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan) is a senator’s wife who’s been taking bribes.

All of the members have been called here for some reason, and even the appearance of Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving) won’t clear that up as he’s murdered by someone in the house leaving everyone puzzled and confused as to who the killer is. Locking down the doors and refusing to let anyone know, a clever gave of clue unfolds, as the 5 guests and Wadsworth search the house from end to end trying to figure out who the killer is before they’re all murdered by nights end.

Clue is a 1980s classic and a fun romp. The movie deftly dances around the silly subject of a murder mystery based off of an old old board game by just having FUN with the subject. All of the actors involved are in on the joke and the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. The idea of a multiple option game playing out on screen is handled quite well, allowing the drama to mix with the fun and let the viewer revel in the silliness of it all. Jonathan Lynn keeps the camera work simple and effective, allowing the mansion to really mold and shift the plot line of the movie more than simple monlogues. It’s eerie, creepy, and yet seemingly spacious and filled with so many rooms that it doesn’t ever feel boring throughout the 96 minute run time. It’s small and intimate when needed, yet opens up and allows for exploring so as to give the audience that there is always something lurking around the corner.

All involved are having a blast with their iconic roles (and murder weapons), but really the film belongs to Madeline Kahn and Tim Curry (especially Curry). Kahn can’t help but ham things up with comedic timing (her big speech about flames around the face is legendar), but Curry is the one who just absolutely dazzles. He’s in full over the top Tim Curry form, leaping from one end of the screen to the other monologing a mile a minute with sheer gusto. At the end of the day, Clue is a fun 1980s romp that thrives off of the set pieces and the sheer enthusiasm of everyone involved to elevate it from being a silly concept, to a fun flick.




Rating:

Rated PG By the MPAA




4K Video: Video:

Paramount’s Blu-ray release for Clue was fine back in 2012, but Shout Studios has gone back to the original camera negative (OCN) and done a brand new 4K remaster (they state restoration, but I doubt the original source material was in need of a true RESTORATION judging by the previous Blu-ray), and it certainly looks quite good. The image is much sharper, with cleaner resolution and a nice layer of film grain over the entire image. Clothing possesses more details, along with the background of the mansion, although there IS some relative softness to the picture that has been around on every iteration of the home video release for as long as I can remember. The real benefit to the new scan is the Dolby Vision application, which does a great jog at getting the colors to really pop on screen. The blacks of Yvette’s french maid costume is silky deep and glossy, while the green from Miss Scarlet’s gown just brings the eye straight to it. Overall this is a very nice looking 4K UHD remaster (the Blu-ray Shout includes is naturally struck from this master as well) and a very nice upgrade over the 2012 Paramount Blu-ray.








Audio:

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA Mono track appears to be the same audio mix found on the Paramount Blu-ray and it gets the job done. Sure it’s not exactly a crowd pleaser, but there’s not a whole lot you can do with a mono mix. That being said, there’s still some baked in deficiencies that crop up. The mix is locked in those front two channels, and the dialog clean as can be, but there’s not a whole lot of depth to it. The mix is a bit flat and without any dynamics to the track. The top end can be a bit shrill and harsh, with some rasping during screams and musical score cues. Overall it’s a very decent track, but nothing to write home about.













Extras:

• NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE (2023)
• 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

Final Score: ​

Clue is a charming little 80s flick that gets a game come to the silver screen right. The cast is obviously having a blast, and the film doesn’t really take itself too seriously either. Tim Curry steals the entire film as he usually does, and the upgrades by Shout Studios to the disc is well received. Personally I would have liked to have seen a little more TLC to the audio track, but it’s the best we’ve received so far so I can’t complain. The video is a nice upgrade over the old Blu-ray and a few new extras sweetens the pot. All in all, I’m giving it a solid thumbs up from an 80s kid.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Eileen Brennan, Tim Curry, Madeline Kahn, Chrisopher lloyd, Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren
Directed by: Jonathan Lynn
Written by: John Landis, Jonathan Lynn, Anthony E. Pratt
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 HEVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
Sugtitles: English SDH
Studio: Shout Studios
Rated: PG
Runtime: 97 minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: December 12th, 2023

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[Sonnie]

Young faces that certainly don't look young any longer.

I remember the game but not the movie.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

I loved that the theatrical release was randomized so you didn't know which ending you were going to get. Perfect game to play with a release like this. We went back to back in the same theater and saw two of the endings, waiting for video release to catch the others.