“A Haunting in Venice” is the third and most recent movie in the 21st-century adaptations including the famous detective Hercule Poirot. A character from the Agatha Christie novels. The movie received a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, but I think that is way too low of a score for this movie. The movie stars many well-known actors such as Michelle Yeoh, Kenneth Branagh, Tina Fey, Kelly Reilly, Jamie Dornan and more. The character development, plot, and cinematography is what makes this movie so good.
The movie takes on a different approach to the story of all of the other Hercule Poirot movies: it involves ghosts and a haunting. Monsieur Poirot (Kenneth Branagh) has decided to retire and is hiding away from the world and the endless cases to solve in the city of Venice, Italy. But one day his old friend and renowned American mystery book author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey) shows up on his doorsteps requesting he find the trick that she can’t seem to discover in the psychic ghost whisper (Michelle Yeoh). But when they go to the seance she performs where a murder occurs, it forces Hercule Poirot to come back out into the world and solve this mystery. Was it caused by a human or a ghost?
The plot of this movie left me on the edge of my seat curious as to what will happen next. It mixed horror and mystery into one great movie and they did it really well. The seance takes place in an old haunted orphanage, where the owner’s (Kelly Railly) daughter committed self-manslaughter. Most of the guests assume the ghosts of the home were the ones that murdered the person at the seance. Watching Poirot try to figure out who was the murderer and wondering if there really were ghosts in the home left me questioning and wondering who or what did it and why. The movie had many twists and turns that kept me interested in what was going to happen. Of course, as is always required in a Hercule Poirot movie, it was the final dramatic reveal of who did it, how, and why. It was very satisfying to watch and left no loose ends. There wasn’t a moment where my mind wandered away from the movie to something else.
The character development in the movie was fun to watch, too. It was fascinating to watch them unravel and show their true colors as they were questioned and events unfolded. It’s really compelling to see Poirot get back into his element of mystery but also struggle with the pressures of the question of ghosts hanging over his shoulder. It all added to the story and depth of the movie. You not only enjoy watching it all unfold once but it’ll make you want to see it all again.
The cinematography of the movie made it so much more fun and beautiful to watch. The different angles and shots of the city of Venice were breathtaking. They helped add to the mood of the scene as well, whether it was suspenseful, intense, or joyful –– it added just that little bit more to the scene. The shots and angles were both a mixture of traditional and unique. Overall, the movie was very well done and incredible to watch. It leaves you with a mixture of emotions, and will leave you wanting to come back and watch it again.