@JennyZee

Seven Dials Isn’t a Background Watch

Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials is, unsurprisingly, excellent. But it is also not what many people expect when they hear “Agatha Christie adaptation.” This is not the familiar Poirot rhythm, the neat little arc, the eccentric detective, the comforting predictability of clues laid out like breadcrumbs. Longtime Christie readers won’t be shocked by this deviation (she loved experimenting), but casual viewers might be.

In recent years, we’ve seen a wave of Poirot adaptations that lean darker, slicker, and more cinematic. They’re moodier, more jarring, and far removed from the cozy PBS Poirot series starring David Suchet, which, for the record, remains my personal gold standard. That version felt slower, gentler, and somehow more trusting of the audience. It didn’t assume you needed to be visually assaulted every five minutes to stay engaged.

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The Kenneth Branagh Collection

newest Poirot adaptions made for the silver screen

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That said, I understand why modern adaptations have shifted. We live in a time where attention is fragmented, competition is endless, and stories from the early 20th century are being repackaged for people who can consume content 24/7. Back when Christie was publishing, readers didn’t have infinite options. You read your book, then you went back to work making five cents an hour. Now, if a show doesn’t hook you immediately, there’s an algorithm waiting to replace it.

The Actual Review

Seven Dials is exactly what it claims to be: a modern adaptation of a very well-written mystery. It’s stylish, star-studded, and clearly made with an older audience in mind, an audience willing to sit, pay attention, and let the story unfold. I say “older” not in an ageist way, but in an attention-span way. This is a three-hour runtime. It is long. It knows it’s long. It does not apologize for being long.

And honestly? I loved it.

The pacing is deliberate, the performances are engaging, and the story trusts you enough to keep up. It doesn’t spoon-feed every detail, and it doesn’t rush to reward you for staying. This is not a “watch while scrolling” situation. It asks for your full attention, and if you give it that, it’s deeply satisfying.

That said, I do recognize that for someone just dipping their toe into the Agatha-verse, this might be a lot to chew. The length, the period setting, the density of characters and motives, it’s a commitment. If you’re brand new to Christie, you might want to start somewhere lighter, shorter, or more familiar before diving in here.

But if you already enjoy mysteries, period dramas, or Agatha Christie in any capacity, Seven Dials is absolutely worth your time. I was captivated, never bored, and genuinely impressed by how confidently it stood on its own.

Just maybe… close your other tabs first.