Sometimes, you take what you can get at the movies.
For example, it is a low bar to clear that the latest entry in the Hercule Poirot Cinematic Universe, “A Haunting in Venice,” is an improvement over its predecessor.
The 2022 film “Death on the Nile” was turgid, poorly acted, and boasted some of the worst CGI backdrops in big-studio history.
So the fact that its immediate follow-up is brisker, offers less painful acting, and very few CGI backdrops is somewhat cold comfort.
The stylish first film in the Kenneth Branagh-directed franchise, 2017’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” seems an awfully long time ago, and whatever sharpness was present has long since evaporated.
There are some mild charms and entertainments in “A Haunting in Venice,” which tries very, very hard to be spooky and creepy but is saddled with baffling if unsurprising directorial choices and some distracting performances.The mustachioed…
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