Clue's Biggest Mystery -- How is a Movie About a Board Game so well Crafted??

In 1985, director Jonathan Lynn brought one of the most famous board games in the world to life. Clue follows the murder mystery themes of its source material and brings many of the game's story elements to life. This includes not only the various murder weapons (pistol, candle stick, rope, etc), but also features all of the iconic characters. This includes Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren), Mrs.Peacock (Eileen Brennan), and Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull). The film also added characters to help create its own unique mystery. The new characters feature the master blackmailer, Mr. Boddy (Lee Ving), and the mansion's butler, Wadsworth (Tim Curry).

The film begins with Wadsworth arriving at the mansion. He greets the cook and the maid and they begin to prepare for the guests. As dinner guests arrive, the audience learns that they are all instructed to go by the pseudonyms they've been assigned. These fake names are how the six dinner guests are known for the whole night. The dinner guests are comprised of the characters from the board game, and the rest of the night revolves around them. People begin to be murdered, and the police will be arriving at the house in 45 minutes. This leaves the dysfunctional group less than an hour to sort out who they really are, why they were invited to the dinner party, and who is killing people in the house.

When considering that this movie is based on a board game, the story becomes very impressive. All of the characters are well realized, and the mystery is genuinely difficult to solve. Everybody looks guilty, and that raises the stakes to very exciting levels. The things that stops this movie from going sour is the strong humor that it uses. If a film about a board game murder tried to be too serious, the results would likely be laughable. Clue smartly tells its story in a comedic way. The characters constantly jump between being knowledgeable and being stupid, and they run around like chickens without their heads. The result is an interesting mystery that is enhanced by smart and slapstick humor.

By far and away the most exciting part of the film is its ending. The killer is revealed, and they are taken into custody. One more dramatic event happens in the mansion, and then the screen freezes. A screen card then appears and says that what you just saw was only one potential ending. A new scene then begins, and it picks up right before the murderer was revealed in scene 1. The difference is that scene 2 shows the characters sorting through even more evidence. This extra evidence leads to a new conclusion that exposes a different character as the killer. Then, there is another event in the mansion and the screen freezes again. This then cuts to a third scene labeled "What actually happened." This third scene begins exactly where scene 2 did, and it is the most exciting of the three endings. After this scene, the screen goes black and credits finally role. Much like the board game it is based on, the movie provided alternate ending as guesses for what happened, only to finally reveal the true murderer when someone had finally pieced it all together. This choice makes the film's finale much more exciting and provides the audience with an interesting opportunity to see many potential outcomes.

In terms of assertions, Clue doesn't have much to say. It is not much more than the murder-mystery comedy it is marketed as, but that is totally okay. The film has an excellent grasp on establishing its comedic tone. Despite the danger they are in, the viewer never fears for the character's safety. Their actions and reaction are wildly comedic and it lightens the tone of the whole story. The film makes particular good use of incongruity comedy, as it shows many things happening that don't make sense. The characters react calmly to some stressful things, and very crazily to fairly calm things. This shows the audience many things that don't make sense, but they are portrayed in a comedic light in order to enhance the tone.

Overall, Clue is an incredibly enjoyable film. It tells a serious story, but never takes itself too seriously. It is aware of its source material and uses that to its advantage. The film is smart, and an inventive adaptation of a long beloved board game.

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