Death on the Nile Review

 

What can I say? I loved it. This move was an ambitious undertaking because of the iconic status of the 70s version. From the cast to the costumes that movie was incredible (if you want a deep dissection of the costume choices, check out Amanda Halley's breakdown here.)

This movie is not as faithful to the book or the fashion of the period as the 70s version, but it's still fantastic. The visuals are otherworldly and the Nile looks far more impressive than in any of the prior versions. The Karnak is photographed beautifully and the sets are sumptuous, just like the ones in Branagh's Orient Express. Branagh manages to make the ship appear both enormous and claustrophobic, which is a neat trick. 

There were several surprising but successful plot adaptations. Poirot gets a prologue backstory, which was very effective. The bookend epilogue, however, was a bit of a shock and not as effective as the prologue. I don't think it fits character, frankly but you can draw your own conclusions.

The fashion is not bad, but they could have done more with it, particularly with Gal Gadot's wardrobe. The movie is supposed to be set in the 1930s, but the style is Generic Vintage, lovely but with not much meaning or characterization. This was apparently on purpose, according to the costume designer. The movie does look lovely, but it also feels very unmoored. Linnet Ridgeway's clothes, in particular, seem a little too simple for an heiress. Emma Mackey's lack of wealth is a big plot point, but her outfits are more glamorous than Linnett's clothes.

The acting is just okay, nothing wildly impressive, except for Branagh and a glorious Sophie Okonoye. Emma Mackey steals the show, but the plot adaptions were not kind to her role. 

That's mostly because Poirot actually has an emotional arc in this adaptation. It's not a bad arc, but it does shift the emotional center of the story from the murder to the detective, which is, imo, a big no-no in the genre. Branagh's Orient Express also had a more emotional Poirot, but the emoting wasn't quite an arc and it couldn't compete with Michelle Pfeiffer's epic Mrs. Hubbarb. The emotional center remained with the murder in that movie. Sadly, Emma Mackey (fantastic though she is in the movie) is no Michelle Pfeiffer and Poirot's arc undermines Linnet Ridgeway's murder in Death on the Nile. This wouldn't usually be a problem in a movie because a character arc is a character arc, but this is a murder mystery. Mysteries are most successful when the solution to the murder is both logically and emotionally satisfying. That's the difference between an iconic work (Orient Express, Roger Ackroyd, etc...) and a run-of-the-mill one. 

But these are just quibbles. The movie is gorgeous and engrossing and worth seeing in the theaters. Go see it!