Kenneth Branagh is a whodunnit aficionado. To prove this he has made two Hercule Poirot adaptations that he has starred and directed. This year, the Oscar winning filmmaker has returned with another Agatha Christie adaptation – A Haunting In Venice. The film is based on Christie’s Hallowe’en Party. In a landscape where murder mysteries aren’t the go to genre for producers, this upcoming venture has a lot to prove. Apart from Rian Johnson’s Knives Out movies, no whodunnits have knocked it out of the park (financially or critically). As we know, these Poirot films have a high production budget so, unless the films are profitable we won’t see another adaptation from Branagh. A few days ago, I covered the first reactions for the film and they were overwhelmingly positive.
Since the embargo has lifted, we also have the reviews of the Poirot threequel. Is it bad? Were the first reactions a hoax? No. The film has debuted with a healthy 81% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes from 17 reviews., which happens to be the franchise’s best. Murder on the Orient Express stands at 61% and Death on the Nile at 62%. The score may fall further once more reviews kick in but this is a solid start. Here is a collection of critics’ honest thoughts about the film.
A Haunting In Venice Reviews Roundup – Best Of The Three Poirot Films!
Kate Sánchez (But Why Tho? A Geek Community) – “Kenneth Branagh’s lovingly crafted outing as Poirot is near perfect behind the camera but perfect in front of it. Branagh embodies the mustachioed detective in a way that pulls you in and makes you ask for more.” Original Score: 8/10
Nicole Ackman (AwardsWatch) – “Based on the rest of Branagh’s filmography, you wouldn’t expect him to be skilled as a thriller director, but he effectively morphs this Poirot film from a mystery into a ghost tale.” Original Score: B
Coleman Spilde (The Daily Beast) – “Branagh may have avoided working with any names that would generate headlines for the wrong reasons this time, but A Haunting in Venice is far worse than controversial: It’s downright boring.”
Charlie Ridgely (ComicBook.com) – “Ending on a good note really does go a long way. A Haunting in Venice might be the most uneven and labored of Branagh’s Hercule Poirot tales, but fans of the series will leave the theater satisfied nonetheless.” Original Score: 3/5
Aaron Neuwirth (We Live Entertainment) – “The best of the bunch so far. More willing to probe into the psyche of Hercule Poirot and given plenty of visually inventive ideas to work with thanks to the unique location, this whodunnit does well to make for a capable mystery/haunted house flick.” Original Score: 7/10
Douglas Davidson (Elements of Madness) – “… Branagh and screenwriter Michael Green are well aware the audience is going looking for clues and are smart enough to still stay several steps ahead, resulting in a mystery that’s as thrilling in the journey as it is in the discovery.” Original Score: 4/5
EJ Moreno (Flickering Myth) – “Who knew all Kenneth Branagh needed to save his Poirot films was to get a little spooky? A sophisticated and stylish murder mystery disguised as a haunt film.”
Tessa Smith (Mama’s Geeky) – “Perfectly combines mystery and horror in the latest Hercule Poirot story, while never letting one overshadow the other. Tina Fey delivers all the comedic relief needed to keep things light during the fun scares and dark elements!” Original Score: 3.5/5
Emma Kiely (Collider) – “This film borrows enough horror tropes.. to fill da Nile!” Original Score: C+
Alonso Duralde (The Film Verdict) – “Not since Dead Again has the director so successfully applied his flair for showmanship to the requirements of the murder mystery.”
Kristen Maldonado (Pop Culture Planet) – “The colors, visuals, camera work, and production design are top tier [but] the humor didn’t work and I found the end to be a big exposition dump.”
Grace Randolph (Beyond the Trailer) – “Stunning visuals from director & star Branagh – some of his best in years. While the movie lags a bit in the 2nd act & some of the acting is weak, this scary movie is a welcome change of pace from the usual fall movie season slashers and gorefests.”
Todd Gilchrist (Variety) – “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.”
Sarah Musnicky (Nightmarish Conjurings) – “With Branagh’s Poirot battling the ghosts that lurk behind every corridor, A HAUNTING IN VENICE proves to be a better Halloween story than anticipated.” Original Score: 6.5/10
Casey Chong (Fiction Horizon) – “Kenneth Branagh combines murder mystery and supernatural horror elements in this reasonably entertaining whodunit.” Original Score: 7/10
Allison Rose (FlickDirect) – “This is Branagh’s third adaptation of a Christie/Poirot novel and so far, it is his best.” Original Score: 4.5/5
Roger Moore (Movie Nation) – “Take any genre, any movie in any film series and add Tina Fey to it and the proceedings are always going to be more fun.” Original Score: 3/4
Kenneth Branagh has assembled another all-star cast for A Haunting in Venice, including Yellowstone star Kelly Reilly, Call My Agent’s Camille Cottin, Jamie Dornan, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey and Mayor of Kingstown’s Emma Laird, among others. The movie is the third Christie novel that Branagh has directed, following Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. Both movies had solid, if unspectacular reviews, but only Murder on the Orient Express (budget: $55 million) was a box-office hit with $353 million and Death on the Nile (budget: $90 million) struggled, grossing only $137 million.
A Haunting In Venice will release in theatres near you on 15th September 2023.
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