BAD: Too S-L-O-W. Pace is toxic. Wasting my life does NOT entertain me.
BAD : As my OH said flatly, as they left the living room after the final episode: "Not worth the wait." Yes, indeedy, at 3h this was far too long.
BAD : Multiple lingering camera shots. These are in place of nuanced facial expressions, that should have been caught on camera for just the right - and short - duration.
BAD : Beautiful panoramas of scenery do NOT make up for a poorly turned out drama.
GOOD: Sarah Phelps - and Kenneth Branagh - had NO involvement in this production. Be grateful for small mercies.
BAD : Endless modernisations that Christie would NEVER have put in her stories. From the 'F' word to . . . Shall I bother to go on?!
BAD : Ticking boxes aplenty.
GOOD: The last 20 minutes has an energy and pace that is absent in the rest of the drama. Which makes this the only time I felt that the magic of Christie's tale's was shown on the screen. A denouement worth watching.
BAD : The problem with training the camera on the cast's faces is that it is asking the actors to just hold an expression (elegant/beautiful/etc.), instead of allowing them to ACT a part. This is one of the reasons we can't see any ACTION on their serene faces. This happened with nearly all the cast, except Matthew Rhys who was clearly asked to look haggard. No beauty appeal there, no lack of expression, as his face was all about the mental pain he was enduring with his PTSD.
BAD : The costumes, hair, and makeup were perfect, and mesmeric in their stylishness. But sadly that plus point can only end as a negative, as someone in the production team seemed to think those could make up for a poor dramatic energy.
GOOD: It's great to see some unknown faces, rather than the pile of well-knowns that often hit us these days. Let's give NEW actors a start on the ladder. A few greats I like, but when I see the face and think of the actor rather than the character they are playing, I know that suspension of disbelief is just about to fail.
BAD : WHY do they keep casting the grand dames/gentlemen of American acting, & not of Britain, in the key roles? Recent Christie adaptations have seen them in their droves. From Glenn Close, to John Malkovich, to Angelica Huston. I mean, I know they're all great actors, but I feel it's somehow product placement. Can't they find anyone in 'Stage' magazine, to fit the bill?!
GOOD: Matthew Rhys is superb. I felt truly shaken when I saw his frazzled facial expressions. And the final scenes are his strongest point. Kudos to the actor.
BAD : Unnecessary, corny, meta references to other Christie novels - the 'Blue Train' and the 'Orient Express' - plus an in-joke titter by the characters, to clarify. (As if we didn't already know . . . !)
GOOD: The setting of the gather-in-the-drawing-room finale was changed to a grass tennis court. Very original. And a fitting location for the coda to this drama. (Unlike the closure to other Christie adaptations, it wasn't a daft setting. I mean: located on the train tracks next to a locomotive engine?! . . . would you believe Branagh?!)
BAD : Style-over-substance piffle. I felt I was watching an episode of a glossy US soap. So, instead, let's get the appropriate pacing back into our TV dramas!
GOOD: What a delight to see Burgh Island on screen again (for the 3rd time). One of Christie's own haunts, and of course used in the superb film of 'Evil Under the Sun'.
BAD : I can't say how many changes they made to Christie's work, as I've never had a chance to read the book. But as this is a modern production, I reckon on a fair few. I DO know that 'Supt Battle' has been removed. And the new detective serves to replace the actions of another key character in the book, who is cut, 'Angus MacWhirter'. These alterations strike me as unnecessary, and arrogant. Will they NEVER stop changing things? After all, as the mantra goes: If it ain't broke, don't mend it.
