Agatha Christie ABC Murders is an iconic piece of writing. By an iconic, timeless and beloved writer of course. And it’s priceless that the mystery created evolved into so many other things. Movies, TV shows and yes. In this case, video games. The ABC Murders video game is next on my agenda and I’m excited about it.
Agatha Christie ABC Murders Is A Great Freebie
Why, you might ask? Well, because Agatha Christie ABC Murders is currently a freebie at IndieGala for a limited time. And yes, it’s awesome. However, I’ve never written about the iconic detective Hercule Poirot before. Nor about any of the other Agatha Christie’s works. However, I did get the chance to write about another iconic fictional detective. Sherlock Holmes. Several times before in fact, and you check out some of my work here.
What’s Agatha Christie ABC Murders All About?
As I previously mentioned The ABC Murders is a great freebie here at IndieGala. But it’s also a fantastic point-and-click adventure mystery video game. Developed by Microids /Artefacts Studios and published by Microids. It’s an adventure and investigation game adaptation from the classic Agatha Christie novel. You’ll have to embody the famous Hercule Poirot. And in a 3rd person perspective adventure game packed with mysteries.
I mean here are some of the Steam user comments about the game:
Agatha Christie’s ABC murders is an interesting mix of mechanisms. At its heart, it’s a point-and-click adventure reenacting Christie’s book featuring her well-known detective Hercule Poirot. But it also is a puzzle game and actually not far from a visual novel which both is kind of appropriate given the inspiration. – said JoSch.
-While Finn Bálor added – A relaxing point & click murder mystery.
But what about the Agatha Christie adaptations that we’ve selected here? Well, it’s an eclectic mix of feature-length movies and mini-series. There are 5 Agatha Christie adaptations in total on this list and they’re all awesome. Some of them are older, and some of them are fresh. So, let’s begin. Shall we?
The ABC Murders
It seems logical to start the post about The ABC Murders (the video game), with The ABC Murders (the mini-series). And yes, the mini-series exists. And it’s rather good. A 2018 BBC One production of the iconic book by Agatha Christie. And with John Malkovich in the role of Hercule Poirot. However, this is a loose adaptation of the 1936 book, and it consists of 3 episodes.
But in the center of the entire mini-series is the slick and rather inspiring performance of John Malkovich. He’s incredible as Poirot, but the rest of the cast is not too shabby either. Rupert Grint is in the cast as well. And so are Eamon Farren, Shirley Henderson and Kevin McNally.
Fun fact: Rupert Grint (Crome) and Shirley Henderson (Rose Marbury) both starred in the Harry Potter series together. As Ron Weasley and Moaning Myrtle respectively.
Ordeal By Innocence
Another mini-series. And another good Agatha Christie adaptation. With the same amount of episodes- 3, and the same BBC One production. And of course, released in the same year as The ABC Murders. A lot of similarities, don’t you think? But this mini-series is based on the Agatha Christie novel of the same name. And it has Bill Nighy in the lead role. Not to mention, the rest of the cast in Ordeal By Innocence is equally exceptional. Anna Chancellor, Alice Eve, Matthew Goode, Ella Purnell and Eleanor Tomlinson are really good in this mini-series. A great murder mystery work, with fantastic performances.
Fun fact: The adaption differs from the novel in the conclusion. Most significant is the change to the identity of the murderer(s).
Crooked House
Let’s leave the mini-series behind. And focus more on the feature-length movies instead. So, with that in mind, let’s look at Crooked House. A 2017 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1949 novel of the same name. And a mystery drama with some of the finest actors working today. Glenn Close has the lead role. While Terence Stamp, Julian Sands, Max Irons, Gillian Anderson and Christina Hendrix are in the rest. So, Aristide Leonides, a wealthy and ruthless tycoon, is poisoned in his own bed. And Detective Hayward is invited to solve the crime. That won’t be easy, but Hayward likes a challenge.
Fun fact: This was Agatha Christie’s favorite of all the novels that she’d written.
Murder On The Orient Express
And let’s finish this post with two separate Kenneth Branagh adaptations. One past and one future. And I’ll start with the 2017 movie. A mystery thriller film, based on the 1934 novel of the same name. Oh, and this time Branagh is in the lead role. That of the iconic Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. However, there’s plenty of great acting talent hare too. Penelope Cruz, William Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Derek Jacobi, Michelle Pfeiffer are some of the actors in this ensemble cast. Indeed, the 2017 version is not as good as the 1974 movie. But yeah. It’s decent enough entertainment. So, I just had to include it.
Fun fact: Johnny Depp asked Sir Kenneth Branagh to apologize to Sir Derek Jacobi for him. After filming their scene together no less. Why? “Because I had to shout at him, and I don’t want to shout at Derek Jacobi.”
Death On The Nile
Last but certainly not least. And yes, this is the project of the future I was talking about. Set to premiere in September 2021, Death On The Nile is another mystery thriller. And another Agatha Christie adaptation from Kenneth Branagh. Indeed, he once again takes the role of Poirot, but the rest of the cast is different. Annette Bening, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Russel Brand, Dawn French and Gal Gadot are in some of the roles. And I can’t wait for it, to be honest. But the plot of the movie is partly in the title. There’s a murder and it occurs while traveling the Nile. So Poirot must investigate and find the killer of the young heiress.
Fun fact: Due to scheduling conflicts, Jodie Comer will not be in the film. As confirmed on Joshua Horowitz’s ‘Happy, Sad, Confused’ podcast.
Are You A Fan Of Agatha Christie ABC Murders?
Or any of the other Agatha Christie’s works? Let us know in the comment section. We’d love to know which of Christie’s works is your favorite.
