SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!
Who doesn’t love a good mystery to rack your brain and work hard to solve before the running time on the screen runs out? I know I sure do, and Agatha Christie has been a provider of such mysteries ever since she started her writing during World War I, beginning with her debut novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, which she published in 1920, and wrote in 1916. However my first discovery of her material came when I watched the 2017 movie “Murder on the Orient Express”, featuring Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz, and many more. This was a mystery, just like “Death on the Nile”, and also featured Christie’s well known detective Hercule Poirot.
“Death on the Nile” also features familiar faces such as Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, and Russel Brand. My first criticism comes from the choice of victim. OF COURSE they had to kill off the most gorgeous cast member. Like, what’s up with that? The beautiful, incredible, wonderful Gadot only getting a fraction of screen time? Who else do they think I’m buying the tickets to watch for? Way before that though, we get a dance number between Hammer and his lover at a bar. What I’ve got to say to that is, GET A ROOM. No one wants to see you sniffing each other up on the dance floor.
Anyways, after some character introductions take place, the real plot commences, where Armie moves on to his new lady, who sports a millions worth piece of jewelry that resembles a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy that was covered in glitter. Trying to get married in peace, Miss Stalkette still manages to find her way onto a BOAT, on which the love of my life was murdered that same night. Hercule begins his investigation, and it becomes quite easy to rule out many of the suspects. There are a few occurrences that throw the viewer for a loop, and one I appreciated was the classic fake-shot move.
However, suspicious characters kept getting killed off before further speculation could be done. That is another complaint of mine, that I feel as though not enough background was established for each character. I found myself forgetting peoples’ relationships to one another, and having enough information to establish motives or any means of suspicion in general. All I have to say is, in the end, it’s always the husband. Certainly not a favorite, and quite a disappointment to the nature of mystery and enjoyment the previous adapted works of Agatha Christie had provided me.
