The Preview Murder Mystery: A weird, old-school puzzle

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you're a weirdo like me who enjoys watching how people in 1936 thought television would change the world. If you're looking for a sharp, modern detective thriller, you're going to be checking your phone about twenty minutes in. It’s for the folks who want to see what a studio PR office looked like when everyone wore fedoras indoors.

The whole gimmick is this “early television” setup. It’s funny because it looks like a glorified toaster with a lens, but the movie acts like it’s the most revolutionary thing since sliced bread. It’s charmingly naive.

Odd moments that stuck

There’s this one sequence in the middle where they’re testing the equipment, and the actor just stands there staring into the receiver with this look of total confusion. It lasts about ten seconds too long. You can practically hear the director yelling "Keep staring! Look amazed!" off-screen.

I also couldn't help but think about The Silent Passenger while watching this. There’s a similar vibe of people rushing around solving crimes that probably shouldn't involve a PR guy in the first place. But hey, that's old Hollywood logic for you.

• The dialogue is mostly just people shouting exposition at each other.
• The lighting in the studio sets is so bright it makes everyone look like they’re perpetually sweating.
• Someone really needs to check on that prop television. It looks like it’s made of cardboard and wishful thinking.

The pacing is… well, it's non-existent. It’s a movie that doesn’t quite know if it wants to be a murder mystery or a workplace comedy. It spends so much time on the studio politics that I almost forgot someone actually got killed. Classic.

It feels a bit like watching a cousin’s home movie, if your cousin had a massive budget and a penchant for melodrama. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s definitely not boring if you just lean into how ridiculous the whole “future of TV” angle is. 📺

Just don't expect it to change your life. It’s just a weird little artifact.