Get a ‘CLUE’ on Blu-Ray

I remember going to the movies with my Dad to see CLUE back in December of 1985.  Man, there’s just something about going to the movies around Christmastime that makes them seem extra special.  I couldn’t wait to see this movie as I was (and still am) a big fan of the popular Parker Brothers board game of the same name.

In fact, CLUE is the ONLY board game I actually own today.  It’s still sitting in my closet and hasn’t been opened in years.  I should break it out sometime in the near future, but it’s not the kind of game that you play when you’re drinking with your buddies.  It’s more of a concentration & thinking game … something that I have some trouble with these days.  Thankfully, CLUE: The Movie doesn’t require a whole lot of concentration (or thinking for that matter), and is just as much fun as the game, except you’re not required to do anything but sit back & have a good time … and everybody wins!

So, needless to say, it felt like Christmas all over again when I opened up the box that our friends at Paramount Home Video had sent me and found my review copy of CLUE – it was even wrapped in colored tissue paper!  Again, like a kid who couldn’t wait, I promptly removed the shrink wrap & popped it in my Blu-Ray player and let the good times roll (like dice!) 

In case you’ve been living in an old, mysterious mansion for the last 27 years, I’ll fill you in on the plot:

Tim Curry leads an ensemble comedic cast in ‘CLUE’.

Six dinner guests who’ve never met before have been invited to spend an evening together in an old, mysterious mansion.  While in the Dining Room, over a bowl of shark fin soup, they begin to discover that they have more in common with each other than they expected!

Once they move 10 spaces to the Study, their host, Mr.Boddy (Lee Ving), tells them that they’ve all been blackmailed for years by the same person … Wadsworth, the Butler! (played by the brilliant Tim Curry).

Mr. Boddy hands each guest a present:  a wrench, a lead pipe, a rope, a revolver (that’s a gun for those who don’t have a clue), a candlestick and a knife.  He then tells them that their secrets will be safe forever if one of them kills Wadsworth with their given weapon!

There’s a dead Boddy on the floor!  Whodunnit?

Well, long story short (too late!), off go the lights and we hear a couple of thuds, a gunshot and a scream! When the lights come back on, there’s a dead body lying on the floor …  Mr. Boddy!

WHO dunnit?!

Was it Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren) with the candlestick?  Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn) with the rope?  Mr. Green (Michael McKean) with the lead pipe?  Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull) with the wrench? Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd) with the revolver?  Or, could it have been Mrs. Peacock (Eileen Brennan) with the knife?

Maybe it was the Butler?  Nah, too cliche.

Oh! there’s also the cook (Kellye Nakahara) and a sexy French Maid (Colleen Camp) to round out the cast of boobs, ahem, suspects.

Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd) and Miss Scarlet (Lesley Ann Warren) round out the suspects.

If you’ve never seen CLUE, you’re in for a treat! As everyone tries to investigate the identity of the killer, comedy ensues in every room of the mansion.  Yes, EVERY room! (and I mean the Kitchen, Dining Room, Ballroom, Conservatory, Cellar, Library, Billiard Room, Hall, Lounge & the Study!)  The bodies start to stack up and so do the laughs, provided by the expert cast … with a few surprise cameos thrown into the mix.

What can I say?  I’m a sucker for comedic murder mysteries…I love films like Murder By Death with Peter Sellers & Peter Falk, The Private Eyes with Tim Conway & Don Knotts and Deathtrap with Michael Caine & Christopher Reeve.  They are just some of my all-time favorites that I own on DVD and watch regularly … so my fondness of CLUE is a no-brainer.

Time to throw that worn-out DVD away … Here’s the FACTS on the Blu-Ray:

The 1080p High Definition picture looks sharp & detailed, as detailed as a catalogue title can get that’s almost 30 years old. There is a fine layer of grain that isn’t intrusive, but gives the picture a film-like quality that I found satisfying.

The sound is presented in its original mono and it sounds even better than ever in DTS-HD master audio.  If you’re tired of watching CLUE in it’s native English, you are treated to more mono audio options: French, Spanish, & Portuguese … plenty of alternate languages for everyone!

Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn) is dressed to kill … in black.

Speaking of options, like its DVD counterpart, you can choose how the mystery will end with THREE alternate endings!  WHY are there alternate endings?  Because three alternate endings were shot and a different one shown at each theatre.  In some cities, the newspaper ads indicated which ending was being shown at each theatre (“Ending A”, “B” or “C”).

Option #1: Show all three endings OR Option #2: Play a random ending.

I always choose option #2, because it’s fun to find out what ending my Blu-Ray player chooses!

The menu is static and pretty straight forward, but it serves its purpose. The only other special feature on the disc (aside from the alternate endings) is the theatrical trailer.  Hey, it’s a welcome addition, considering most Blu-Ray’s today don’t include the trailer(s), so I’ll take it!

Yeah, these are the same bonus features that have been on the DVD version of CLUEfor years, but I’m not complaining.  Paramount has been doing an impressive job remastering & releasing its 1980’s catalogue titles for the format and I look forward to what they release next from my favorite decade!

The mystery and bonus features in the CLUE Blu-Ray will rope you in!

In closing, I really, truly LOVE this film (couldn’t you tell?)  It brings back fond childhood memories of sitting in that theatre with my Dad and laughing ourselves silly.  I’m thrilled to add CLUE to my 80’s collection.  Paramount has done a nice job with this Blu-Ray & fans and newcomers alike shouldn’t hesitate to take a stab, (or a shot?) at picking this one up on August 7th !

CLUE is Rated PG & has a runtime of 94 minutes…depending on which ending you choose!