Emma Fielding Mysteries: Past Malice (2018)
Archaeologist Emma Fielding is hired to consult on the acquisition of a castle-like estate that local legend states is cursed. But she finds herself in the middle of a murder case after discovering the body of the archaeologist she was hired to shadow in a secret chamber in the bowels of the huge building. Assisted by her friend, FBI special agent Jim Conner, Fielding must sift through clues and a long list of suspects, each of whom has their own reason for wanting the man dead, to determine who is the killer.
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It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.
The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.
While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
Celebrated archaeologist Emma Fielding (Courtney Thorne-Smith) is recruited by her former roommate to investigate missing artifacts from a mansion with a supposed cursed history. The mystery deepens when she spots a dead body in a hidden chamber with no obvious entrance. FBI Special Agent Jim Connor (James Tupper) leads the murder case.It's been a little while since I've seen Courtney Thorne-Smith. The mystery at the mansion reminds me of Scooby Doo. Early on, I was half expecting the ripping-off-the-mask reveal. This may be fine for Hallmark but it's a little too light for a big boy movie. There is next to no tension. There is enough likeability but not much else. This needs to be saved by the romantic chemistry but there is limited heat. It's like a lower level pilot for a second tier TV show. They really need a good hot coupling at the top.
An eccentric millionaire dies and two years later his estate is still being appraised. One of the appraisers is Courtney Thorne-Smith archeologist who is doing her second Emma Fielding story Past Malice.The deceased has also amassed a lot of collectible antiques and he wasn't too discriminating about seeing what they might be worth. For example Professor Fielding has to tell his nephew that he does not have an original Mayflower Compact copy. None purportedly exists though if one were ever found I daresay it would be worth more than the rest of the state combined.There's also a legendary curse on the family and the death of the family butler and keeper of all the secrets and an eccentric and iconoclastic archaeological colleague of Fielding's seems to lend credence.I can safely say that these people met their demises at the hands of a real criminal with a most earthly motive. Which Courtney Thorne-Smith and her companion FBI agent James Tupper do uncover.Emma Fielding is a nice entry in that collection of feminine detectives for the millenial generation that Hallmark has produced.