Gorgeous remote seaside backdrop for a film that is Similar to Glass Onion and Then Then There Were None, but lighter and Mexican. The acting was decent and I think cosy mystery fans and hardcore fans of Glass Onion might like this.
The story follows true crime podcaster Agatha as she is invited with five other acquaintances to an evening at her half-sister's seaside estate. On the first evening her sister, Olivia, plummets to her death while they are all onboard for a dinner and overnight at her bequest. Olivia is an eccentric millionaire and at the dinner she announced someone was going to be murdered, Agatha just didn't believe it would be her sister. Now Agatha along with a rookie cop is determined to solve her murder...luckily all the suspects are trapped at their seaside location.
I loved the secret doors and the revelations about their past...along with some decent detective work, but this is definitely on the lighter side of sleuthing.
My review is based on watching this film in it's original Spanish language with English subtitles.
A Deadly Invitation
2023 [SPANISH]
Comedy / Mystery / Thriller
Plot summary
Eccentric millionaire Olivia sends her half sister Agatha, and a group of old acquaintances, a mysterious invitation for a weekend on her yacht, where they will discover the true motive behind this invitation: the celebration of… a murder?
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
October 12, 2023 at 07:02 PM
Director
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB 1080p.WEB.x265 2160p.WEB.x265Movie Reviews
A lighter mystery for fans of Glass Onion ilk.
Intrigue and black humor!
I wasn't going to see this movie because I thought it was going to be about divas on a yacht, sex and drugs or something like that. The truth is that I found it very entertaining and different. The story may be somewhat cliché, yes, we already know it, but this one has very unexpected and original twists until the very end, and it is very comfortable to watch, with great landscapes and photography of Mexico, and some good actors, not all. Regina Blandón and Maribel Verdú are the stars!
The reactions of this funny group of friends after a dramatic situation could have been more real, although that gives it that touch of parody and eccentricity, that's what it's all about.
They also could have used more and better humor, since the jokes are somewhat bland.
It's like watching a long episode of the English series 'DEATH IN PARADISE', which I love. Even the movie poster!
Much better than I expected, and I think the rating is too low, this movie it's sarcasm, parody, and adventure with that good feeling of mistery to be solved on the beach and vacation atmosphere that we all like.
I definitely recommend it, very refreshing and original, just to have a good and chill time. And with a totally unexpected ending.
A Deadly Invitation
This Mexican murder mystery opens with a variety of people being invited to the home of Olivia Uriarte. They include Olivia's sister Agatha, who runs her own true crime podcast; Olivia's ex-husband and other people she knows. When they arrive they are assigned specific rooms but there is no immediate sign of their host. She meets them later aboard a boat. Once together she tells them how each of them has a motive to kill somebody in the group. In the morning Olivia is found dead. To complicate matters at the time the boat is positioned where two police jurisdictions meet. While it is decided who should investigate the guests stay in the house and a junior police officer along with Agatha start asking questions and exposing secrets.
I thought this will was okay; not terrible but not great either. The mystery is intriguing enough and there are some decent twists but there is also far too much standing around talking. I know some viewers had a problem with the main investigator being an amateur rather than the police officer but that has been a genre staple for about as long as there have been murder mystery stories. Inevitably there are quite a few clichés but the final resolution worked for me and felt somewhat original. The acting is decent enough and the location used is impressive. Overall It is distinctly sub-Christie but is okay if you like the genre and fancy watching something set somewhere more exotic than the typical English village.
These comments are based on watching the film in Spanish with English subtitles.