The Super Powered Fancast

With the increasing popularity of superhero movies and the potential for expanded universes based on the intellectual properties that companies have, it was inevitable that there would be a push from companies that don’t hold comic book properties like Disney and Warner Brothers to use their existing IP’s to not only produce movies, but create their own expanded cinematic universes.

The problem is that many of these properties have one flaw: no characters to invest in. Let’s face it, when you play a board game, preferably with friends, you are in essence bringing yourself into the game and most board games lack the kind of narrative structure that would lend itself to an actual movie. The difference between a potential movie like Candy Land (which is in development to star Adam Sandler) and the movie I want to discuss, 1985’s Clue, is that there are no characters in Candy Land. No matter what the iteration, Clue’s classic characters Mrs. Scarlet, Mr. Green, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. White, Ms. Peacock and  Professor Plum allow for the creation of a narrative necessary to solve the murders inherent in the game itself.

Clue, based on the board game by Parker Brothers, came out in 1985. Directed and co-written by Jonathan Lynn (Nuns on the Run, The Whole Nine Yards) along with John Landis (An American Werewolf in London, Animal House), the film is a dark comedy about a group of strangers who meet at a secluded mansion because they are summoned by a series of letters. After finding out that they are being blackmailed, a series of murders places the group in a desperate race to find the killer before the police arrive and their secrets are exposed. Check out the trailer below

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDDdeHtrxfA?rel=0]

What I find unique about this movie is that every character has the ability to shine and only now that I’m older can I appreciate the comedic geniuses at work in this film. If you haven’t watched it in a while, you owe it to yourself to give it another look. If you’ve never seen it, treat yourself to a first time viewing and tell me what you think below.

Eileen Brennan (Private Benjamin, Jeepers Creepers) as Mrs. Peacock

Lesley Ann Warren (Victor Victoria, Community) as Miss Scarlet

Michael McKean (Spinal Tap, Airheads) as Mr. Green

Colleen Camp (Police Academy 2, American Hustle) as Yvette

Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For) as Professor Plum

Martin Mull (Mr. Mom, Arrested Development) as Colonel Mustard.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8d8y4BLWtI]

Madeline Khan (Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles) as Mrs. White

Last but not least the incomparable Tim Curry (Rocky Horror Picture Show, Legend, Congo) as Wadsworth.

That’s all for this Cult Classic entry. Please leave suggestions below on which cult classic movies you might want to read about. Now would anyone care for fruit or desert?

Deron