Netflix’s Latest Murder Mystery Smashes Screens With Stellar Rotten Tomatoes Score
Netflix’s new murder mystery, The Thursday Murder Club, premiered during a limited theatrical release in 30 cinemas and a red-carpet debut in Leicester Square, London, on August 21.
The film, directed by Chris Columbus, known for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, is adapted from the bestselling novel by Richard Osman. It tells the story of a group of elderly amateur sleuths who come together to solve a murder, including a former spy, a nurse, a trade union official, and a psychiatrist.
The movie features a star-studded cast including Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Jonathan Pryce, Richard E. Grant, Pierce Brosnan, Celia Imrie, David Tennant, Naomi Ackie, and Tom Ellis.
Critics have largely praised the ensemble, noting that the cast brings charm, energy, and credibility to the story. The film currently holds a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on 21 reviews, reflecting generally positive reception.
Reviewers highlighted that the movie treats its elderly characters with respect and dignity, avoiding stereotypes and punchlines at their expense.
Many appreciated the fun and engaging dynamic between the group of sleuths, as well as the production’s high-quality design and the nostalgic charm of a classic murder mystery.
Screenwriters Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote successfully adapt Osman’s novel, and Columbus delivers a mainstream, entertaining experience that is lighthearted and easy to watch.
A rare film with dignity for its elderly characters and not out to make them walking punchlines, it is a joy watching this charming ensemble solve a mystery while having fun
Robert Kojder
Screenwriters Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote adapt the novel and director Chris Columbus robustly delivers the C-major chords of mainstream entertainment. The result is some undemanding enjoyment.
Peter Bradshaw
The Thursday Murder Club, despite the best efforts of its truly superlative cast, is pretty much a Sunday night detective drama — albeit one with spectacular production values.
Yvonne Zipp
If you can get past some illogical plot choices, then The Thursday Murder Club will be an enjoyable, albeit goofy, adventure, elevated immensely by the film’s incredibly talented cast.
Emma Vine
Columbus doesn’t introduce much suspense or tension. And the cast’s talent is barely made use of. But, overall, it’s a loving salute to an old-fashioned kind of storytelling — and a book that I’ll never read.
Deborah Ross
However, critics also pointed out some flaws. The plot occasionally stretches credibility, and the story can feel predictable or thin at times.
Some noted that certain performances are broad, leaning into theatricality, which may feel overly staged for some viewers. Overall, while the film doesn’t reinvent the genre, it offers an enjoyable, cozy mystery elevated by the strong performances of its veteran cast.
The cast have been seemingly told to play their scenes so broadly and turned out towards the audience that you half-expect Kingsley to ask us to kindly move Colonel Mustard to the library.
Clarisse Loughrey
Perhaps due to these books’ extraordinary popularity,…such an adaptation was inevitable. Except no one could have foreseen that the result would be quite so thin and perfunctory; so nefariously lazy; so fiendishly pleased with itself.
Robbie Collin
Four pensioners. Countless cold cases. And now an actual murder on their own patch!
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) August 7, 2025
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB is on the case. Coming to Netflix 28 August. pic.twitter.com/NltGD7KhxL
The Thursday Murder Club combines mystery, humor, and a touch of elegance, making it a charming watch for both fans of the book and those looking for a lighthearted detective story.
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