See How They Run

⭐⭐⭐ based on 1 review.

tl;dr: An excellent cast for a quirky, oddball whodunnit, but ultimately lacks depth.

Review

Spoilers Ahead: My reviews are not spoiler-free. You have been warned.

Going into See How They Run I was unaware of the Mouse Trap connection, and knowing almost nothing about the Agatha Christie classic (least of all the stage show, bar that it has had a phenomenally long run) did make it feel like I was constantly just missing the joke. That, however, is definitely on me, and if you are a fan of the original story, I think it would probably only improve things. As it is, I enjoyed the film, though wasn't blown away. It's beautifully shot – albeit not at a Wes Anderson level – and has a phenomenal cast, all of whom are great, though Saoirse Ronan (as per) steals the show (though I'd say Sam Rockwell does a damn fine job alongside her, and broadly pulls off the English accent).

On the other hand, the plot's reliance on meta-commentary comedy and the surface-deep nature of the critique of its own genre, whilst fun, never feel all that meaningful. And whilst the ending gag about the Hollywoodification of cinema was enjoyable, after I realised what was happening I just found myself slightly bored letting it play out. The result is that, whilst the mystery is always a few steps away, you see each plot beat coming a good chunk before it hits. This won't ruin the ending, but it does make it less of a "whodunnit" and more of an am-dram attempt at satire or thought-provocation (and this coming from someone with a history of having acted in an even more am-dram murder mystery/pop-culture mashup 😂).

Still, it was enjoyable whilst it lasted and elicited more than a couple of chuckles, and it's certainly different from our more typical superhero and action fare, whilst remaining well-paced. Overall, then, a solid effort and a fun romp.