Kenneth Branagh and that moustache return for the sequel to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, except this time the murder happens on a boat instead. What’s next, a plane?
The trailer sees the dramatics of Agatha Christie’s classic novel emphasized tenfold – dramatic shots of the desert, quick cuts and a tagline that screams another sequel (“Murder is just the beginning”).
“Have you ever loved so much? Been so possessed by jealousy that you might kill?” asks Poirot in voiceover while characters dance the night away. So, if you’ll pardon the pun, it looks like Branagh’s adaptations are really heating up.
Like Orient, this is no low-budget adventure. The lavishness of the parties and gluttony of a lot of glasses filled with champagne gives off strong The Great Gatsby vibes, much more so than Orient. However, I do hope that the self-contained nature of Christie’s originals stays the same and Branagh doesn’t do too much exposition before the party actually gets on the boat. It would be good to learn more about the characters whilst Poirot investigates – rather than thirty minutes of introductions.
While there doesn’t seem to be anything eye-catchingly new in the trailer that Death on the Nile might bring to the murder-mystery genre, it seems from the offset like a thoroughly enjoyable few hours, one that might even draw a few of us back into the cinema. And if Gal Gadot isn’t enough to get you back in front of the big screen again, perhaps Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Dawn French, Emma Mackey Armie Hammer, Rosie Leslie, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Letitia Wright might. Branagh really pulled out the contacts book for Nile, and boy does it show.
After everything 2020 has brought so far, Death on the Nile just might be the escapism we need. Perhaps Poirot could come help sort this mess out.
Death on the Nile is set to release in cinemas 9 October.
Words by Harriet Metcalfe
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