Kenneth Branagh’s Hercule Poirot films haven’t exactly been some of the best murder mystery films ever made. But they’ve done a decent jo of entertaining the audiences and keeping them invested in the series. Although, A Murder on the Orient Express (2016) opened to mixed reviews, it was a pretty solid film, especially for viewers who never read the book or watched the original 1974 film. A Death in Nile (2022) also opened to mixed reception as it failed to improve upon the flaws of the first one. However, the third film in the franchise aka A Haunting in Venice has indeed opened to a great critical reception and has a score of nearly 80% on RT. So, is it worth it? Where does it stand compared to its predecessors? Let us find out! Don’t worry, no major spoilers follow below.
A Haunting in Venice Review – A Decent Attempt At Blending Genres
HOC Rating – ★★★1/2
Much like it’s predecessors, A Haunting in Venice is largely based at a single location but this time with a spooky twist. The film wasted no time setting up the plot and getting things going and trusted audience’s awareness regarding Poirot. It introduced viewers to legends and lore surrounding the allegedly haunted Palazzo right at the beginning. We are also introduced to all the major characters within the first 20-25 minutes of the film. So, as far as the opening is concerned Branagh did a decent job of familiarizing the viewers with the characters and the location of the entire film.
However, things truly picked up when Michelle Yeoh’s Joyce Reynolds entered the picture. But much like Johnny Depp in the first film, and Gal Gadot in the second, Yeoh had a short lived role. So yes, we can call this another wasted talent in Branagh’s Poirot trilogy which is now getting rather formulaic. But after her death, the film really tapped into its spooky side as during the investigations, two more murders took place in ways no one could explain. Aside from that, Poirot himself went through a lot of supernatural stuff, confusing the viewers and Poirot himself. Of course, by the end everything gets debunked by Poirot but the film leaves a few things open to interpretation.
A Haunting in Venice probably has the best ending in the franchise for two reasons. First, it lets a few things Poirot experienced in the film open to interpretation. And second, it really hit the mark with the identity of the blackmailer. While many of the viewers might be able to guess the identity of the murderer, most of them won’t be able to decode the identity of the blackmailer. But like its predecessors, the film has quite a few noticeable flaws. The biggest flaw is that the film fails to engage the viewers on a personal level. Instead of letting them guess alongside Poirot, it never reveals certain elements to anyone but Poirot. Therefore, we end up being narrated stuff we never saw by Poirot himself, which really takes away the charm of a mystery film.
A good mystery film is the one which reveals everything and presents all facts to the audience as well as the lead alike. And then showcases how the lead was able to pick up and notice things in a way we never did. Aside from that, due to its short length, it failed to make viewers care about any of the characters other than Poirot. Another major flaw was that the very last murder didn’t actually make much sense and was really poorly executed as well. As for the performances, aside from Branagh’s portrayal of Hercule Poirot, only Tina Frey’s performance managed to leave any impact with the exception of Jude Hill, who proved his mettle as a child actor. Talking about technicalities, the film had a great production design and tone, but the cinematography, editing, sound design, and score were all pretty mediocre.
Final Verdict – Even with its blatantly obvious flaws, A Haunting in Venice is a decent family entertainer which chose a horrible release timing, as Halloween is just next month. It is also a good attempt to blend the murder mystery and horror genres, but fails to live up to its true potential. Even so, it is the second best entry in the franchise and if you are not a fan of A Murder of the Orient Express, it might end up being your favorite.
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