The murder mystery based on Richard Osman’s book ties everything up a little bit too quickly – but still has the touches of humour that makes the characters endearing.
There has been so much hype and excitement around this film adaptation of Richard Osman’s the best selling first novel of The Thursday Murder Club that perhaps it is only to expected that it doesn’t quite live up to expectations.
With the feel of a cosy Sunday evening detective drama, The Thursday Murder Club has been adapted for the big screen by screenwriters Katy Brand Suzanne Heathcot and directed by Chris Columbus to create a pleasantly entertaining version – filled with humour but lacking the finesse on the plot.
The Thursday Murder Club is set at Coopers Chase, a retirement facility which is under threat by their landlord the villainous Ian Ventham (David Tennant) to be turned into luxury flats. At the centre of this facility, where residents have all kinds of hobbies lies The Thursday Murder Club, formed of former MI6 chief Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), ex-trade unionist Ron (Pierce Brosnan), retired psychiatrist Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley) and former nurse Joyce (Celia Imrie) who investigate cold murders – until the day a real life murder arrives at their door.
While the way in which the story unfolds is cosily entertaining, filled with plenty of humour there is an element that the plot itself is a little bit neglected which is a shame as there is plenty of twists and turns that could have kept the audience thoroughly on the edge of their seats. The tone of the film at the end of it all does feel like Midsummer Murders for the big screen – not necessarily a bad thing but not quite what audiences were promised, particularly in the outcome (for those who have read the book will know what I mean).
This being said, the characters are fully rounded and it is easy to escape into their world and get to know them and their eccentricities (Pierce Brosnan doing Aqua is not something I expected to see) – particularly of the main characters themselves to showcase how their individual talents make them a crime solving force to be reckoned with.
The cast are so delightfully put together that it is easy to forgive the fact that some are better suited to their characters than others. At the centre of it all, Helen Mirren is a true force to be reckoned with as Elizabeth with her no nonsense approach that keeps the rest of the gang on track. She is well matched with Celia Imrie as Joyce, whose obsession with baking would see her being an excellent contender on The Great British Bakeoff who also gets some of the best lines. I would have loved to have seen more of Ben Kingsley’s Ibrahim being brought out of the shadows, while Pierce Brosnan perhaps lacking the gruffness that Ron is like in the books knows how to play on the comedy side of things.
But there is also lovely support from Jonathan Pryce as Elizabeth’s husband Stephen and Daniel Mays as DCI Chris Hudson who tries to fumble his way through the investigation.
Overall, while perhaps this film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club is an easy and enjoyable watch it is difficult to escape the feeling that it would have worked better as a tv series first to give the plot more room to breathe.
By Emma Clarendon
The Thursday Murder Club is available to watch on Netflix now.
Rating: ❤️❤️❤️