‘Death on the Nile’ reviews round-up: Poirot sequel is ‘more satisfying and engaging’
Kenneth Branagh’s much-delayed follow-up to Murder on the Orient Express arrives at last this week!
The sequel to 2017’s hit Agatha Christie adaptation, Death on the Nile sees director Branagh return as Hercule Poirot.
Originally due out in 2019, the movie was pushed back to autumn 2020, then to September 2021, and again to this year.
Leading the starry cast are Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Rose Leslie (Downton Abbey), Letitia Wright (Black Panther), Annette Bening (American Beauty), and Sophie Okonedo (Christopher Robin).
They’re joined by Ali Fazal (Victoria & Abdul), Tom Bateman (Vanity Fair), and Russell Brand, with comedy double-act Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.
Watch the trailer:
The official synopsis reads: “Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short.
“Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this tale of unbridled passion and incapacitating jealousy features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travelers, and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement.”
We’ve rounded up a spoiler-free selection of reviews to help you decide if you’d like to watch the movie:
“[Death on the Nile] feels far more personal than Orient Express, with much higher stakes. So it pays off, making this … much more satisfying and engaging than its predecessor.” ★★★ – Empire
“Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot returns in a cringey, slapdash mystery.” ★★ – The Times
“Gal Gadot shines, and Kenneth Branagh ups his Agatha Christie game. – Variety
“Death on the Nile becomes an increasingly suspenseful, fast-paced, and twisty thriller involving stolen pearls, more death–some of it quite grisly–a complicated plan, and a pistol or two. It’s quite engrossing, a credit to the structure of Christie’s plotting and the screenplay’s largely faithful rendering of it…” ★★★ – Den of Geek
“After years of chaos and delays, Armie Hammer-starring mystery isn’t worth salvaging.” ★★ – The Independent
“Kenneth Branagh’s riverboat cruise has gone awry.” – Bloomberg
“It takes Death on the Nile far longer than it should to reach its most impactful moments, but actor-director Kenneth Branagh cares deeply enough about Detective Poirot to make it work … the film ultimately succeeds when Branagh turns the camera away from the digital settings and occasionally fake supporting performances, and points it at himself.” – IGN
“Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot works overtime to keep the ship afloat …If Branagh gets a chance to carry on with the series, he needs to throw his audience off-guard by trusting to a nimbler edit.” ★★★ – The Telegraph
“Branagh’s spirited performance as Poirot and a big-name ensemble cast can’t keep this stale and two-dimensional whodunnit afloat.” ★★ – The Guardian
Death on the Nile is released in cinemas this Friday.
Murder on the Orient Express is available on DVD on Amazon.