A Haunting in Venice - Movie Review
2"A Haunting in Venice" (2023) directed by Kenneth Branagh is my favorite of the three Agatha Christie adapted films I've seen, but it's still not near perfect. As always, this is not my cup of tea and the only reason I watched it is because my parents love whodunnits and I gave this film as a Christmas gift to them and watched it with them.
Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) returns, once again claiming to be retired. He is pulled back into a new case when his friend and author of his fame Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) requests his assistance in debunking a ghost story. They visit a house in Venice where a supposed suicide occurred, but the mother of the victim suspects foul play and want to commune with the dead through a medium named Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh). Poirot is certain of his beliefs that spirits do not exist but he begins to experience paranormal events around the cursed home.
A Haunting in Venice is my favorite so far because it's the only one to feature some horror in it. While it's not exactly a terrifying film due to it's G rating, I none the less appreciated the attempt to do something different and catch the audience off their guard. Kenneth Branagh continues to be an amazing portrayal of this famous French detective. The focus on paranormal activities was a strong choice for the story to avoid retreading past ones we've already seen.
Each of these three films I've seen features an ensemble all star cast and I did feel this one was the weakest. Most of the characters blended together and I wasn't particularly on any of their sides. This is the only whodunnit film I've seen where I didn't actually make a guess as to who did it, and I think that's partly because the film was relatively standard as far as whodunnits go and didn't want to let you in on any secrets too early, which is a little disappointing since part of the fun of this genre is playing detective alongside the actual detective. Venice was a cool location but the film takes place almost entirely at night meaning there is little to no epic cinematography like it's predecessors.
A Haunting in Venice is the strongest so far of these modern Agatha Christie films, but it still has not perfected the formula in my opinion. It needs to take a risk or two, offer even more intrigue, and flesh out a supporting character or two if it wants to be something I consider legendary.
Video by Rainy Nights.
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