Thursday Murder Club takes Netflix's number one spot but is branded 'disappointing'

The adaptation of Richard Osman's book The Thursday Murder Club has finally landed on Netflix after production began back in 2024.

It features a stellar cast, including the likes of Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie and Helen Mirrenand was directed by Chris Columbus, who recently made an admission about casting the actors.

The film follows four pensioners who live at the Coopers Chase retirement home in a picturesque English village and like to solve cold cases in their spare time.

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However, the amateur sleuths find themselves involved in a real crime when a murder happens right on their doorstep.

Fans of the The Thursday Murder Club books, which have a total of five in the series, have been eagerly waiting for the film to drop, although it looks as though disappointment is in the air.

Despite it quickly earning the top spot on Netflix's top 10, some people have called the film 'disappointing'.

One person on Rotten Tomatoes said: "I do not understand why the writers of the movie took a perfectly good series of books and chose to change the basis of the story. Could not even watch to the end. Why? If I could, I would give it a minus score. I could not even finish watching it went to bed. Ruined it for me."

Someone else wrote: "Having just finished the book, I can only say that the delightful cast can't save this terrible adaptation of a great book. Several key plot points are removed, and the nuances of the characters presented in the book are almost completely missing."

Another added: "It's a mess with a couple of funny moments. Fans of the books will be very disappointed - weird casting choices, dropping of multiple characters and plots and inexplicable changes to the story that remains."

However, there are other viewers who are delighted with the adaptation, having nothing but positive things to say, as one person shared: "If you enjoyed the book, this movie will hit the spot. Great casting of the characters!"

Someone else wrote: "The Thursday Murder Club is a breath of fresh air. The cast are fantastic, and the storyline keeps you engaged from start to finish."

As another commented: "What a super film, it has everything."

Author Richard Osman revealed that he found inspiration for the book series at his mother's retirement community.

Speaking to Tudum, the former Pointless star said: "You just sit and chat with these people, and they've lived these extraordinary lives. You hear these amazing stories, gossip, and wisdom.

"You think, 'These people are so overlooked.' The idea that these people with their wisdom and their invisibility would be the perfect people to solve [a crime] is exactly where The Thursday Murder Club comes from.

"Take these people who are underestimated but who have these incredible skills, put them together, and they can achieve anything."

The Thursday Murder Club is available to watch on Netflix now