What? Again!?

Rating: 7/10 (25 February 2020)

The biggest mystery about this movie based on Agatha Christie's famous novel is why they bothered. It isn't as if this book hasn't been filmed umpteen times already. This movie features great sets, a marvelous soundtrack and many famous and talented actors but it brings nothing to the story that we haven't seen before. To be honest, we certainly wouldn't want anyone to change the story, but if we're going to see it done again we would like to see it done in a way that brings something fresh. Maybe that's no longer possible with such a familiar tale.
Kenneth Branagh plays Hercule Poirot. He is a very brave man to do so. Most of us remember Poirot played by David Suchet. Suchet is, without a doubt, the definitive Poirot. He has Poirot's mannerisms and quirks down to a tee, his acting is impeccable and Suchet even looks like Poirot, just as Christie described him. I believe that every book Christie wrote featuring Poirot has been filmed starring Suchet, including Murder on the Orient Express. If you are a fan of Christie or mysteries generally, you should look these productions up. Kenneth Branagh looks nothing like Poirot, but then again neither did Peter Ustinov or Albert Finney or other actors who have played the role.
If there is a problem with this movie it is Branagh's portrayal of Poirot. We know Poirot is a very eccentric even narcissistic man, but Branagh goes over the top in portraying these aspects of Poirot's personality. His is not always a subtle performance. In fact there are times it seems that Branagh is envisioning Poirot as sort of an early 20th century superhero. There is one scene where Branagh's Poirot is outdoors walking towards all the other cast members and we see him walking towards the camera with his voluminous coat swirling about him like Superman's cape. There are times too that the landscapes in this movie look decidedly like computer generated images. I suspect some of them are. They are certainly gorgeous but sometimes have a cartoonish quality to them. One other thing I became aware of as the film approached its conclusion is how many secrets Poirot was progressively exposing with absolutely no evidence or clues presented to support his deductions. He was always correct of course, but that's not the point. We would like to see the clues too so we could try and solve the mystery along with him from the comfort of our lounge chairs.
I don't mean to sound like I am disparaging this movie. That is not my intention. There is nothing terribly wrong with it, but there is nothing special about it. This movie concludes with the suggestion that a sequel is planned - a remake of Death on the Nile. Honestly people, Mr Branagh et al, don't bother.