Kenneth Branagh’s third Hercule Poirot film “A Haunting in Venice” opens this coming Friday and has so far scored the best reviews of the three.
With 31 reviews counted, the film sits at a strong 81% (6.9/10) on Rotten Tomatoes – a distinct improvement on the more mixed results of 62% (5.9/10) on “Death on the Nile” and 61% (6.1/10) for “Murder on the Orient Express”.
The newest adaptation is based on one of Agatha Christie’s latter and lesser-known novels “Hallowe’en Party” as opposed to the other two more famous (and previously adapted to film) works. Thus it comes with less baggage, and at the same time Branagh has more room to experiment with the material.
Going by the review excerpts, the results have paid off. Here’s a sampling of quotes:
“Not since Dead Again has the director so successfully applied his flair for showmanship to the requirements of the murder mystery.” – Alonso Duralde, The Film Verdict
“Branagh anchors this supernatural digression from the shoe-leather sleuthing of earlier Hercule Poirot stories with appropriate theatricality, while playful turns from the supporting cast elevate another murder mystery to suitably arch gothic horror.” – Todd Gilchrist, Variety
“‘A Haunting in Venice’ is a moody Gothic horror feature that feels completely refreshing in a landscape of jump scares and gore.” – Kristen Lopez, The Wrap
“A Haunting In Venice succeeds as an engaging, undemanding exercise in gothic mood, with Branagh pulling out some of the same spooky textures he incorporated decades ago for his equally cheeky whodunnit Dead Again.” – Tim Grierson, Screen
“A heck of a lot of fun, from its eerie Venetian mask costumes to the intriguing ways in which its central mysteries unfold.” – Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly
“An off-kilter horror-comedy told with breakneck momentum… Continues the series’ strange evolution as a tribute to the iconic Belgian sleuth; Branagh cares more about Poirot than any living person, and it shows.” – Siddhant Adlakha, IGN Movies
“While A Haunting in Venice might offer Hercule Poirot’s least engaging mystery yet, it’s offset by Branagh’s firm commitment to a spooky, claustrophobic atmosphere.” – Meagan Navarro, Bloody Disgusting
“A Haunting in Venice sets a definite pattern of diminishing returns. The new film is much pokier in its pacing, with duller characters.” – Caryn James, Hollywood Reporter
The film sees Branagh returning to the role of the Belgian sleuth and is joined by Tina Fey as the recurring Christie character Ariadne Oliver.
The story unfolds in an eerie, post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve when a thirteen-year-old girl, who claimed she witnessed a murder when she was younger, is killed.
Hercule Poirot is now retired and living in self-imposed exile in the glamorous city. He reluctantly attends a seance at a decaying, haunted palazzo and soon is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.
Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Kelly Reilly, Emma Laird, Kyle Allen, Camille Cottin, Ali Khan and Riccardo Scamarico co-star.
“A Haunting in Venice” will open in cinemas nationwide on September 15th.
