Clue arriving on 4K is not a sentence I thought I’d ever get to write. Yet here we are. Paramount, with a good, not great record when it comes to bringing catalogue gems to the ultra-high-definition format, licensed the film to Shout Select to bring to market, and the results are delightful.
Clue is a classic little gem of a film, assembled with a gifted cast of funny talent to run the gamut of wordplay and physical foibles over the course of a deadly evening. Though not terribly successful, the film remains hilarious and a fine example of adapting a non-traditional entity for the big screen. Comparison is often made to the similarly plotted Murder by Death, a perfectly funny film, released years before in 1976. Also filled with a fine ensemble cast (though the stars were bigger), Murder was never quite as snappy as Clue, and your opinion on which is better may depend on your sense of humor and which came into your life first. For me, Clue is unmatched and this 4K release is a treat for which fans will be eternally grateful.
The Production: 4/5
“In your hands, you each have a lethal weapon. If you denounce me to the police, you will also be exposed and humiliated. I’ll see to that in court. But, if one of you kills Wadsworth now, no one but the seven of us will ever know. He has the key to the front door, which he said would only be opened over his dead body. I suggest we take him up on that offer. The only way to avoid finding yourselves on the front pages is for one of you to kill Wadsworth. NOW!”
On a dark and stormy evening, guests attend a mysterious dinner using pseudonyms. The purpose for the gathering is a secret, their host unrevealed and their evening far more dangerous – and clumsy – than any of them could have supposed. On this evening, the guests and staff include the butler, the cook, the maid, Professor Plumb, Miss Scarlett, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Colonel Mustard, and the late-arriving Mr. Boddy. As Wadsworth the butler begins revealing the purpose for the gathering (and exposing secrets), Mr. Boddy hands out gifts to the assembled guests (a gun, a lead pipe, rope, and the other murder weapons from the board game) and suggests that someone take out the butler; the lights are shut off – there is a gunshot, a thud, a scream, a crash – and when the lights come back on – a dead body. Unable to leave and unwilling to stay, the guests must uncover the killer and preserve their dignity.
Clue, based in premise and parameter on the Parker Brothers’ board game of the same name (called Cluedo in the UK) is as much an adaptation as it is a loving riff on Agatha Christie mysteries – which themselves were fertile source material for the board game.
As a collective movie-going audience we may-well roll our eyes at the prospect of a film based on a board game (Battleship anyone?), but Clue is something entirely special; a delightfully farcical jaunt of a film rippling with sublime comedic talent who embrace their characters with near giddy delight and a prowess of funny. The board game may well have served as the seed, but what plays out is a witty and spirited take on the turns of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot – albeit without the insightful and modest crime-solver on hand to save the day.
Written by Jonathan Lynn and John Landis and directed by Lynn with a stage-play tone, Clue is a brisk and joyfully charming charade. An ensemble piece, the first act anchored by the brilliant Tim Curry as the Wadsworth, the Butler. His taut British accent and wry smugness run counterpoint to his awkwardness. Eileen Brennan brings a haughty heiress quality to her portrayal of Mrs. Peacock while the legendary Madeline Kahn glides misanthropically through scenes as the dark Mrs. White. Christopher Lloyd is sly and more than a little free with his hands around the ladies as Professor Plum. Michael McKean pulls off the effete Mr. Green with ease while Martin Mull gives Colonel Mustard a proud and oddly impotent quality. Lastly, the lovely Lesley Ann Warren imbues Miss Scarlet with the sultriness and sexiness the name is intended to imply. Fans delight in the cheeky puns, twisting words, occasional pratfalls and a cast chewing up their characters makes for a wonderful movie-watching experience. Michael McKean’s outburst of “Mrs. Peacock was a man!” always gets one of the biggest laughs (at least from me) and the jokes deliver as well today as they did decades ago.
Clue is brimming with a terrific cast whose comedic timing and bantering interplay earn even those jokes you may see telegraphed ahead. All these years since its release, this joyfully written and performed gem remains fun, quite clever, and preposterously absurd.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
Shout Factory’s Clue, remastered from a 2023 4K scan of the original camera negative, offers a nice uptick in detail from previous releases. Superior without question to the old Blu-ray release from Paramount, and incrementally better than the accompanying Blu-ray in this release featuring the same 2023 scan. The Dolby Vision grading produces impressively saturated black levels but does have the effect of masking some costume detail, case in point Wadsworth’s Bulter’s jacket, all definition disappears in some shots, as does Mr. Green’s deep blue suit. An odd effect. The colors on the costumes almost shine at times which brings a superb pop of colors, as do the red walls of the room Yvette is stationed eaves dropping on the other guests, and it stands out.
There’s a lovely and natural film grain stable throughout the presentation, brighter colors than we’ve had from previous releases even for a film with a modest color palette with all the browns from the house wood floors and flourishes. It’s a clean presentation with just a handful of dust specks, most noticeable in the opening credit sequence.
Audio: 4/5
The English Mono DTS-HD Master Audio is serviceable – fitting for the film and for how fans have always seen it (little by way of ambient sounds and any real depth). For a film that survives on the quality of the dialogue it is important that the center channel carries the weight of that burden without issues – and it does. It isn’t an exciting audio but quite frankly if you are enjoying the quality of the script the less than convincing claps of thunder won’t hurt your enjoyment of the film.
Also, a special shoutout to John Morris’ memorable score which suits the film exceedingly well. I’ve had the La-La Land release (now out of print) and it’s fun to spin it especially when it’s raining outside.
Special Features: 3/5
A modest but meaningful collection of special features newly created for this release. A highlight of which is the interview with writer/director Jonathan Lynn is a nearly 30-minute walk down memory lane of building the film from the ground up without a story to adapt along with the concept of the game. As a fan of film scores and an admirer of film historian, Daniel Schweiger, the new extra on composer John Morris’ composition is another highlight.
Disc One (4K UHD)
- NEW Remastered from a 2023 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative
- Three Different Surprise Endings
Disc Two (Blu-Ray)
- NEW Remastered from a 2023 4K Scan of the Original Camera Negative
- NEW “The Perfect Motive: Directing Clue” — interview with writer/director Jonathan Lynn
- NEW “The Scene of the Crime: Producing Clue” — interview with associate producer Jeffrey Chernov
- NEW “Not Just a Game: Scoring Clue” — Interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger about John Morris’s score
- Three Different Surprise Endings
- Original Trailer
Overall: 4/5
Clue arriving on 4K is not a sentence I thought I’d ever get to write. Yet here we are. Paramount, with a good, not great record when it comes to bringing catalogue gems to the ultra-high-definition format, licensed the film to Shout Select to bring to market, and the results are delightful.
Clue is a classic little gem of a film, assembled with a gifted cast of funny talent to run the gamut of wordplay and physical foibles over the course of a deadly evening. Though not terribly successful, the film remains hilarious and a fine example of adapting a non-traditional entity for the big screen. Comparison is often made to the similarly plotted Murder by Death, a perfectly funny film, released years before in 1976. Also filled with a fine ensemble cast (though the stars were bigger), Murder was never quite as snappy as Clue, and your opinion on which is better may depend on your sense of humor and which came into your life first. For me, Clue is unmatched and this 4K release is a treat for which fans will be eternally grateful.
Neil has been a member of the Home Theater Forum reviewing staff since 2007, approaching a thousand reviews and interviews with actors, directors, writers, stunt performers, producers and more in that time. A senior communications manager and podcast host with a Fortune 500 company by day, Neil lives in the Charlotte, NC area with his wife and son, serves on the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte Board of Directors, and has a passion for film scores, with a collection in the thousands.
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