Clue
Paramount Home Video
Cast: Tim Curry, Madeleine Kahn, Christopher Lloyd, Lesley Ann Warren, Eileen Brennan
Extras: Theatrical Trailer, 3 Different Surprise Endings
Rating:
Loosely based on the board game of the same name, ’Clue’ is an intricate murder mystery movie that creates a wild scenario in which everyone could have killed anyone, and allows viewers to draw their own conclusions during the film. The DVD actually offers three different endings of the movie, and you can chose whether you see one of the solutions at random or all three, one after another.
Although ’Clue’ owes much to films like ’Murder By Death’ or Agatha Christie’s ’Ten Little Indians’ it is nonetheless a charming and highly entertaining movie that fills the mystery with a number of great laughs. No doubt the great cast, featuring Tim Curry, Madeleine Kahn, Christopher Lloyd and Lesley Ann Warren among others, helps immeasurably to make the film as high-spirited as it is.
’Clue’ is presented in a 16×9 enhanced transfer on this DVD in a 1.85:1 widescreen aspect ratio. Some grain is visible on occasion during the presentation but apart from that, the print is in perfect condition and the transfer features a very high level of detail. Featuring many dark scenes, it is great to see that the transfer has strong blacks with good definition throughout. Never do you lose details in the shadows and with the good highlights, the transfer always looks pleasing and balanced. Colors are nicely reproducing the quirky and warm atmosphere of the film that is highly reminiscent of classic detective stories, and fleshtones are always natural. The compression is flawless and no signs of compression artifacts are evident in the film.
The DVD comes with monaural Dolby Digital audio tracks in English and French. Both tracks are equally well produced and despite their lack of spatial integration, sound rather natural. Dialogue is well integrated and always understandable. The slightest sibilance can be detected in a handful of scenes, but for the most part the audio presentation is very clean and clear. The same is true for John Morris’ playful score. Using a very interesting theme and mysterious motives, the score has a very whimsical feel throughout that adds enormously to the film’s overall appeal.
If you like classic murder mysteries, and if you enjoy a sly laugh in between, make sure to give ’Clue’ a look. It is a great movie and comes on a splendid DVD.
