Murder Mystery 2 review: Bigger, more chaotic, but still the same

Murder Mystery 2, the follow-up to Netflix's half-baked mystery thriller/rom-com from 2019, premiered on Friday, March 31, bringing back the ever-likable pair of Adam Sandler and Jennifer Anniston as the crime-solving couple Nick and Audrey in another bizarre adventure that involved everything -- from destroying Paris' oldest cafe to a villain trying to blow up the Eiffel Tower.

The sequel came from new director Jeremy Garelick and returning screenwriter James Vanderbilt. Following the couple after their sloppy detective mess from the first part of the film, this one sees them get entangled in a mystery once again.

The mystery is much deeper, more twisted, and has much more firepower, but in essence, this was so close to the original film that there was no room for improvement.

Anyhow, it still made for a decent weekend watch, brimming with charm from Sandler and Anniston, two of Hollywood's biggest movie stars.

Disclaimer: This article purely reflects the views of the author, which maybe subjective in nature.

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Murder Mystery 2 review: A thinner plot with a more decorated premise

Murder Mystery 2 was never supposed to be a Knives Out sequel. Keeping that in mind, the second part of the film fits right where it was supposed to, in the forced space created by streaming services for sequels. This does not mean that Murder Mystery 2 is a bad film. Rather, it is a lot more entertaining but it also requires not thinking too much, again, much like the original film.

Murder Mystery 2 kicks off with now aspiring detectives Nick and Audrey trying to make a living out of their new profession. Of course, they are miserably failing till the time opportunity knocks at the door. This time too, the opportunity means a weekend getaway invitation to The Maharaja aka Vik's (Adeel Akhtar) wedding with a French woman (Mélanie Laurent).

The film does not hold back at grandeur or stereotypes, as Nick and Audrey engage in "the" big fat Indian wedding, aptly decorated with every color and real elephants. Of course, a crime shakes the foundation of the event, with Vik getting kidnapped.

Enter Miller (Mark Strong), a veteran negotiator who is pretty much good at everything. The list of suspects is rather short this time (and predictable at times), with the Countess (Jodie Turner-Smith) and the sister, Saira (Kuhoo Verma), at the center of the list.

The plot soon accelerates quite rapidly, with Audrey and Nick soon driving a van into Paris' oldest cafe shortly before murdering a flock of kidnappers in the moving car. These are some of the funniest sequences in the film, with Anniston's flawlessly played character maneuvering a van with the handle of an axe buried into one of the dead men's heads.

Just before the ending of the film, it hints that there will be far more drama this time, but as things start to play out, Murder Mystery 2 ends up with a resolution that was quite like the first film.

Yes, the ending is quite enthralling, with some high-octane action at the top of the Eiffel tower, with Nick suddenly gaining some James Bond momentum. If the Helicopters and miniguns fail to capture the viewers after the big revelation, the film ends on quite a cliffhanger with Nick and Audrey still hanging by a thread.

Wrapping up, the film was everything it was supposed to be, and it was entertaining to the end. For those who liked Murder Mystery 2, this is a great watch, and for those who did not, well, you are not going to like this one either.

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Murder Mystery 2 is now streaming on Netflix.