Josh Ruben

Forest ranger Finn Wheeler is newly assigned to the small town of Beaverfield, which is currently divied over a proposal to build a pipeline. Some of the residents welcome the pipeline because they'll be well-paid for it, while others feel that it would mar the area's natural beauty.

As a severe snowstorm blocks the way out and something busts up all of the town's generators, the town is suddenly faced with a killer in its midst. Chachi, a small dog owned by one of the residents, gets taken, and a local man everyone had thought had left with his mistress is discovered dead, partially eaten, and stuffed under his house. As the town devolves into paranoia, the new ranger tries to figure out what's going on.

I haven't played the game this is based on, but I got the impression that the folks who made this movie decided to take a page out of the Clue book when it came to adapting the game. This had a weird, quirky, and entertaining energy that reminded me a lot of the Clue movie.

The movie started with a Mr. Rogers quote, which was fitting since he was basically Finn's patron saint. All Finn wanted was for everyone to get along and support each other like a proper small community. Instead, folks were more inclined to look after themselves and their loved ones and leave everyone else to whatever fate awaited them.

In addition to its newest resident, Beaverfield had a sarcastic postal lady, a rich gay couple, a couple of hicks, a scary loner, grabby Mr. Anderton, and his Trumpish wife Trish. It was like the cast of the cozy mystery dialed up to maximum. Finn, a wet washcloth of a man who spent his trip to Beaverfield listening to a motivational recording in an effort to grow a spine, rounded things out. My favorite of the bunch was probably the environmentalist who didn't do emotions - hurray for stiff, weird scientist lady!

Overall, this was funny, not terribly gory, and entertaining. I'd rank it up there with Clue in terms of movie adaptations of games, despite the fact that it lacks Tim Curry.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)… (meer)