Mystery Island

It's the typical Hallmark we've been getting nowadays--low quality in just about every department. Poor acting with excess and unnecessary exposition. There's a comical establishing shot of the island toward the beginning of the movie, and someone thought it should also be titled onscreen "Mystery Island" because...reasons. The plot ends up not going anywhere, relative to the usual murder mystery. And once the truth comes out about how things ended the way they did for our victim, it also reveals that this story had a significant chunk of underlying support for the plot that was never there to begin with.

That makes for a dull visit to Mystery Island overall.

What could be more fun than going to an immersive mystery island. Here, the rich pay $10k a night to dress up in black tie, eat fab food, enjoyed bottomless tumblers of cocktails and try to solve a murder mystery. Dr. Emilia Priestly has arrived to this island with her pal Baroness Jane. Alcott. Emilia is a psychiatrist for the Metropolitan police in London. After a terrifying encounter with a subject, she takes some time off to pivot. Does she need to rethink her career?

Once they arrive to Mystery Island, they meet the other well-appointed guests, that is after Emilia bumps into and meets the dishy Detective Jason Trent. They are all the original investors of Mystery Island. (Although in the photo of the original investors there is also a fun cameo of two fan-favorites-I will not spoil!). However, the founder of Mystery Island, John Murtaugh, is a recluse and did not come out to the island.

This sets up this Hallmark movie for a very clever 123 minutes of fun, clues, and mystery. This is a wonderfully over the top movie. All the actors take their role and make it dramatic and memorable. More than that, the ending is a very VERY Christie-Like ending. Most of all, this movie does not take itself too seriously. There are plenty of jokes about mystery writers versus detective work. That was entertaining.

If you love mystery, this is great movie to watch. If you are weary of the baker/caterer/matchmaker sleuth who breaks into other people's homes etc then this is for you. This movie is luxurious, well-written and well-acted. There are enough suspects without it being too confusing. Yes, I figured out the whodunit early on--but I didn't have all the details put together.

I have already rewatched it and still found it fascinating.

Oh where to start! I iknow it's a Hallmark movie and therefore the story would be pretty simple and everything, but this was a total disaster.

The amateur sleuthing by the doctor and her dolaly sidekick Jjaniie was beyong ridiculous.

The chemistry/attraction bewteen the detective and the doctor was extremely cringe.

Overall it was so bad that I would not recommend it to anyone, even if they are bored stiff and need to do something with their time. Trust me there are lots of things you can do when you are bored, but watching this is definitely not one of them.

The acting was bordering on pretty bad too!

Consulting Psychologist for Scotland Yard, Dr. Emilia takes a much needed vacation with her friend, Baroness Jane Alcott, at an exclusive resort known as mystery island. Emilia is there to not only participate in this week's mystery (the murder mystery premise of Mystery Island), but to contemplate about her job with Scotland Yard.

Their week is interrupted when the show runner and head of the island ends up dead. Now with a real murder mystery to solve, the two girls meet detective Jason Trent. Emilia gets to show off her observation and profiling skills as she helps Jason get to the bottom of this very real mystery.

I think some of the acting was a bit rough in this film...especially at the beginning when there was some "campiness" to the delivery of lines. I did like the end which sets up a new consulting partnership to build future mysteries. I am not sure how that would work in terms of a series...also, if people do keep dying on the island...why would anyone go there?

The two leads were attractive, but there was little to no romance between the two. Also, if this series is going to continue the tropical background is decent as is the resort itself...but the wardrobe/costuming could use a little help.

A decent attempt at something different for hallmark but the way it comes off feels patronizing. Would anyone really pay $10,000 a day to go to an island mansion that seemingly has no special ammenities? It might be all-inclusive but doesn't seem to include anything to do other than eat and drink. The characters, minus one or two of the male guests, are completely static; there is no growth or development and they leave the island the same as they arrived. Which i suppose isn't unlike reality but makes for an empty feeling movie. There is a scene where the two friends are sitting on a bed in a darkened room talking while wearing long dresses with empire waistlines that feels like something out of Sense and Sensibility and that kind of says it all about them. Elizabeth's concerned face looks like she's about to cry, otherwise she just looks smug. They try to make her character more empathetic by giving her a two lines about her father's recent death but that is more to check off the hallmark list of requisites (a dead parent or two). Kezia's character is more likeable, if rather silly, but does not carry herself like someone born to nobility. The women all try to sneak around the mansion in high heels on bare floors. In fact, they wear heels ALL the time. If hallmark is so worried about trying to make their actresses appear tall, hire some tall actresses. Either that or acknowledge that they aren't and let the ladies wear flats/sneakers. The common detective orders the police chief to collect evidence, and she does! Not to mention the evidence they use to solve the case, half of which is kept from the audience until the grand reveal, is so highly improbable as to not establish reasonable doubt.