A Haunting in Venice

I don't know why I keep bothering with these. Cheesy dialogue and flat performances, more cringy fake accents though Branagh's still the worst—almost sounding Turkish at times while he mispronounces actual French words as well as his character's name. And what is up with the boy who acts like a middle-aged woman? That's not a thing. Same writing formula of shoehorning a trail of breadcrumbs to be called back in the final reveal, but they're so dull you don't even care, and the entire end monologue might as well be replaced by a "yeah that's the killer" for how magical and confirmation-bias-ridden the path to deduction is. The scenery and occasionally spooky atmosphere were cool though and kept me in it, but it was a challenge.

Although I'm a big fan of whodunits, I thought Kenneth Branagh's first two Poirot films were only okay. He definitely brings a lot of passion to the role, and the cast was impressive each time, but somehow the previous films seemed a bit old-fashioned. There was rarely any real suspense, and "Death on the Nile" wasn't exactly a visual treat either. Fortunately, this is a bit different with "A Haunting in Venice." The third Branagh/Poirot installment does a lot better than its predecessors. Already, the setting in Venice is great, plus there is a light, creepy atmosphere that suits the film very well. Furthermore, the case is much more engaging as a mystery this time around. Although I would still say that "A Haunting in Venice" is also a bit stale and the cast is no longer quite as prominent. But overall, it is still clearly the highlight of the trilogy for me.