Death on the Nile: a ship set sail for disaster

Death+on+the+Nile%3A+a+ship+set+sail+for+disaster

Han-ah Kang

Premiering on February 11, 2022, Death on the Nile brought mixed reviews with its star studded casting. Starring Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, and Kenneth Branagh, the movie is based on Agatha Christie’s novel by the same name. Death on the Nile follows a circle of wealthy socialites as tension occurs due to a struggle for material gain. Originally gathered in Egypt to celebrate the wedding of Linette and Simon, the group is followed by Simon’s old lover, Jaqueline, and also Linette’s best friend. As Jaqueline follows the celebratory party onto their honeymoon boat, tension occurs. But soon, unimaginable events and horrific circumstances begin to unfold as Detective Poirot unravels the mystery.

The movie starts off slow, following the characters’ backstories and the traveling party’s excursions. Of course Jaqueline causes most conflicts in the first half of the film due to her despise of the newly weds. The mystery only begins in the second half of the film, which felt quite rushed. The movie only goes into depth about Jaqueline, Simon, Linette, and Poirot, which is a shame because the plot becomes so predictable. Such obvious indications and focus on these characters leave the audience wondering if the movie is going to end in such a cliche manner.

However, the confrontation of the mastermind, is executed well. It leaves viewers with suspense and fear but also leads to a second guessing of one’s own suspicions. The twists and turns eventually lead to the most probable suspects being caught with a gut wrenching fate.

Overall, Death on the Nile was a typical mystery movie, quite enjoyable and suspenseful in some scenes, just too obvious and cliché in most aspects.