This fall, there’s another Hercule Poirot movie coming out, A Haunting in Venice. I really enjoyed Murder on the Orient Express back in 2017, so of course I was gonna watch the 2nd and 3rd ones. I saw Death on the Nile in theaters in 2022 and I’ve watched it since then.

I reviewed the first movie in this series of Agatha Christie adaptions, and I was really excited to revisit this movie and compare the two. A Haunting in Venice looks like it might be the best of the tree, and I still need to read the book it’s based on, but first… let’s review Death on the Nile!

Very Much A Sequel

As I said, it’s clearly a sequel, so I can’t help but compare it to Murder on the Orient Express. This movie really tries to give you more Hercule Poirot scenes. Overall, the setting and setup are great. Beautiful scenery and camerawork. Tension from the get-go (besides the ineffective WW1 flashback.) So it hits all the easy marks.

It manages to feel like an Agatha Christie book once they’re on the ship. But there’s lots of extra stuff leading up to it and concluding it. Those parts don’t feel like Agatha Christie. They aren’t all bad, but I think Murder on the Orient Express sticks to the Christie vibes more strictly.

This movie is also slow at times. It’s a bit anticlimactic at the end. Overall, the ending just plays better in the book version. It’s not enough to ruin the film, but it definitely impacts it.

I wrote in my first review how Murder has some really forced action scenes. I kind of forgot, but it’s true in this, also. There aren’t as many forced scenes. But there are a couple.

Hercule Poirot

Kenneth Branagh is awesome as always. He’s my favorite Hercule Poirot of all the movies. But is he better in this or Murder?

I think which version you prefer really comes down to your feelings on the development. They tried to give him more personal stakes, which I appreciated because that tracks with the book. However, they also gave him some personal development that might feel forced. The opening scene, the closing scene, and a few of his interactions during the actual murder mystery… They aren’t for everybody. I don’t think I liked them, but you might.

Gal Gadot and Emma Mackey are both incredible in their performances. Everyone else, not as much. Nobody is downright bad, but I don’t think they’re as engaging. Between these two female leads and Kenneth Branagh, there’s plenty of good acting.

Besides those differences, it’s very much an above-average, enjoyable murder mystery, and I’m really looking forward to the next one.

I do think this is slightly worse than Murder on the Orient Express. That movie got an 8/10 from me, but I’m giving this one…