Thaw is on, and the buds are giving way to spring. For most, restrictions are alleviating. Wanderlust gives way to a sense of adventure. A vacation is in order after all we have been through. Only problem is where to go? What is better than somewhere more exotic. International voyages can be an option. Just make sure that the accommodations are safer than those conjured by a certain mystery writer.
Agatha Christie has long been the grand-dame of the genre ever since she put word to paper. Solving clues with each turn of the page, filmmakers never fail to resist adaptation of her most famous investigator: Hercule Poirot.
Kenneth Branagh has put his own spin previously in Murder on the Orient Express back in 2017. A tale I was more familiar with, it was still enjoyable as a piece of popcorn cinema. Death on the Nile, on the other hand, is not something I knew. In some ways, it was for the best in order to keep me guessing. Like all great whodunits, the cast is most important part. Starring everyone from Gal Gadot to Russell Brand (completely against type), you need a group of guests as suspects. There are a few updates here, as Tom Bateman reprises his role opposite Branagh the last outing. His turn as Bouc made for a lively addition to the rogues gallery in the first film. Here he is more of a sidekick to Poirot.
For those who donât know the tale, Gadot plays a wealthy woman who marries a man played by Armie Hammer. He was originally engaged to another; a jealous woman named Jacqueline de Bellefort, the most amazing name. In an extended opener, the stage is set for the most lavish honeymoon cruise ever. There is an additional sequence where we learn how Poirot gained his signature mustache. Branagh gets to put on his prestige director hat for this part, echoing his work in the recent Belfast.
The production design is truly a thing to behold, no detail spared and warranting the big screen. In instances, it is clear Branagh is using some computer trickery. Some is more or less distracting if you focus on it. But if you lose yourself in the story, most will find this entertaining. And only a short trip to the theater is afforded.
For those looking for a good staycation, head over to AppleTV+ for The Afterparty. Created by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, a group of former classmates heads to the mansion after their high school reunion. One by one, they tell their side of the events that culminated in one of their friendâs death. Each episode plays like a different movie genre. One suspectâs turn is a romantic comedy. Anotherâs is a Fast and Furious film; the former class valedictorianâs side of the story, a psychological thriller and so on. Tiffany Haddish plays a whacky detective who investigates the scene of the crime.
Lord and Miller have long cemented their style with The Lego Movie and Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse. Even their forays into live-action like 21 Jump Street contain their infectious kinetic energy. There is even an episode here that is entirely animated, harkening back to their days with MTV and Clone High. If you have Apple TV+, you will not be disappointed. Whichever excursion you select, it will be happy viewing.
