A Haunting In Venice Review - Hercule Poirot's Standard Detective Mystery With A Splash Of Gothic Horror

A Haunting In Venice Review: Kenneth Branagh quoted, "My name is Hercule Poirot, and I am probably the greatest detective in the world,” and we believe in his supremacy as he offers a new mysterious ride with "A Haunting In Venice". Agatha Christie's "Hallowe'en Party" (1969) is a well-known novel, but this is the first cinematic adaptation it ever had, serving as the next chapter in Branagh's detective franchise after "Murder on the Orient Express" (2017) and "Death on the Nile" (2022), which starred Branagh as Poirot. Christie's story has a splash of horror and makes for a fine Halloween experience for Poirot lovers. Kenneth's cinematic adaptation is sold on the same values but is a bit dragged as far as the gripping cinematic experience is concerned. The film takes the entire first half to build the characters, tensions, and atmosphere, which is too boring. Thankfully, it excels better in the second half as the mystical facts are revealed and the suspense is well explored to fulfil the genre's demands.Detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) is retired and living a cold life in Venice. He is called to attend a seance by his pal, Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), a crime novelist, to which he reluctantly agrees. The motive behind attending this seance is to debunk the claims of Mrs. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh) that she can speak to dead people. These three are invited to Rowena Drake's mansion (Kelly Reilly), along with other guests who are somehow related to Drake and her dead daughter. The first attempt at a superstitious horror scene is immediately exposed by clever Poirot, but soon he is caught under the spell. As he hears voices and sees demons, a couple of murders take place in the mansion. Tired of pretending about his reluctant retirement life, Hercule Poirot is back on the job to find the killer. Will he find it or remain clueless about the mystical Gothic events?Michael Green's screenplay offers a novelty factor of horror elements to Branagh's detective franchise. Now, if it works or not, it's all up to you and how you look at this franchise. It's a fictional detective series anyway, so it didn't bother me much. What bothered me was the pace of the film. The screenplay for a 100-minute film should be fast-paced, especially with a suspense thriller. Green's measurements go wrong here. He still covers the rest of the narrative nicely in the conclusion part; it's just that we have to wait almost 70 minutes to arrive at the point. Poirot's character also looks too deemed and dull in the beginning, or, say, until the first is over. The main force has to be on the front for a longer period of time to win the battle. Branagh was kept behind unnecessarily, I believe. In 100 minutes, the actual film, the actual thrill, stays for only 30 minutes, leaving you somewhat satisfied and somewhat disappointed as well.Kenneth Branagh's accent was getting on my nerves in those early films, but since I have been acquainted with it long enough now, it does not annoy me. Actually, it's among Poirot's best features now. Branagh shows a little complexity in his character, as demanded, and who knows, you might end up liking that. He isn't the same as he was in the previous two films, so it's a new tide, I guess. Kyle Allen, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, and Michelle Yeoh are the ladies I'd remember from this haunting detective thriller. It's not normal to have so many female characters in a murder mystery, but sometimes it's needed and it's suitable too. Also, horror elements work on a higher scale if they are focused on women. The other cast has also done a decent job, which includes Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Camille Cottin, Riccardo Scamarcio, Emma Laird, and Ali Khan.Haris Zambarloukos handled the camera very well. I am just not sure whether those constant top views during thunderstorms were really needed. The artwork and visuals have been cheerful despite the old-school layout of the haunting mansion. A Haunting In Venice is set in post-war times, so I can understand why it was so mild in the beginning. The effects of war reflected on many human lives, while some didn't really care. This conflict is clearly visible in all characters, and the background score sounds apt there. Kenneth Branagh's filmography as a director is colourful and diverse. Comparing his adaptation style of Christie's novel to that of the great Sidney Lumet and John Guillermin from the 1970s would be unfair, as he did all he could to bring modern versions of the suspense stories. His creativity and storytelling might differ, but he never hurt Agatha Christie's acclaimed works. Even now, he bares it all to give full justice to Poirot's horror mystery and delivers a standard suspense thriller. It's a bit dragged and soggy, that's all. And we are just being fed with this stuff from all over the world, be it films, OTT, or TV, so somewhere, we are bound to get bored. Some people are very fond of this genre, though, so it's haunting enough for them.

A Haunting In Venice Review :