ShangLuda Admirable film.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

pwme Through no fault of the actors, this was yet again a poor remake of the excellent original starring Joan Hickson, who played Miss Marple as written by Dame Christie.Julia McKenzie is a fine actress and certainly more believable than the middling actress who played her so poorly and made a spoof of her.The writing is very much at fault in these remakes. It's trying TOO HARD to be clever and different at the expense of an already good story line. I found myself waiting for it to be done with so I could turn it off instead of enjoying it. Shame on the network for not truly appreciating Agatha Christie's simple genius of Miss Marple.I'm sticking with the original series. Joan Hickson was the only TRUE Miss Marple thus far that I've seen.

blanche-2 I really enjoyed this version of "A Caribbean Mystery," with Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple. I know I saw the Helen Hayes version, but I don't remember if I saw the Joan HIckson one.It's a neat story. Miss Marple is visiting St. Honore, a tropical island, to recover from some health problems. She stays at a resort, the Golden Palms, owned by a married couple, Tim and Molly Kendall.The place is heavily booked, with the Hillingdons and their American friends, the Dysons, a businessman, Jason Rafiel, his assistants, and the gossipy Major Palgrave.Major Palgrave loves a good scandal, and one night goes into one of his stories. He actually has a photo of a serial killer, he says, and pulls it out. Suddenly, he decides not to show it. The next day, he's dead, supposedly of a heart attack. Too coincidental for Miss Marple, who wants to see that photo, which has disappeared. Before she can solve the case, there are other murders, mistaken identity, and secrets uncovered.Very good story and well done, with beautiful scenery and production values. Julia McKenzie is a good Miss Marple and close to what I pictured while reading the books: charming, lively, with a keen mind and good powers of observation, based on watching the behavior of people in St. Mary Mead.There was probably more emphasis on voodoo here than in other adaptations. My favorite here was the gruff Rafiel (Antony Sher) who becomes a real admirer of Miss Marple's intelligence. They have a very genuine and nice relationship. The ending is lovely.Very good.

bob the moo It wasn't too long ago that I watched the Joan Hickson version of this same tale and, while I enjoyed the color of it, I did feel that that version dawdled a bit too much and lacked forward motion, lingering in the characters and losing momentum the more it went on. So with the new ITV version I was pleased to find that the thing I usually dislike about them actually worked in its favor – the color, the liveliness and the pace. The mystery kicks in very quickly indeed and apart from a few sidesteps it more or less keeps things coming so that I felt engaged with the story. As is normal for me, I wasn't right there with the characters when the resolution was revealed, but I did feel like I was at least going with it.The one exception is an odd moment where James Bond and Ian Fleming make it into the story; it is amusing perhaps but it served no purpose other than, if you're cynical, getting the writer a trip to the location for the sake of a few minutes of screen time. Higson probably deserved it though as he has done a good job as writer, making the story flow and having the material match the heat and color of the setting. The cast mostly get this too. McKenzie is still not really someone I like as Marple, but she is good here and in particular works very well with Antony Sher. The rest of the cast isn't quite that famous but has good turns from Webb, Brown, Wakefield and others.Overall an enjoyable and lively piece of Sunday night mystery; it has color and energy and comes together pretty well.

TheLittleSongbird A Caribbean Mystery isn't among Agatha "The Queen of Crime" Christie's finest works, but even when Christie wasn't at her absolute best she was still pleasurable to read. Of the three adaptations of A Caribbean Mystery(very like with The Mirror Crack'd), I deem this one the best one, Joan Hickson's was very good if sometimes a little dull and I didn't care hugely for Helen Hayes' version. And it is for me one of the better adaptations with Julia McKenzie as Miss Marple(though The Blue Geranium, Pocket Full of Rye and The Mirror Crack'd are on top, with Why Didn't They Ask Evans the worst). It could have been improved certainly, the Ian Fleming part was fun in a way but felt out-of-place, Robert Webb does a decent enough job in his role but doesn't look as comfortable in a serious role than with the comedy that he is very gifted at, the voodoo sometimes got excessive and there are characters(Hillingdon and Jackson especially) that are given very little to do.There are things though that did come across as an improvement over the book. Lucky is much more interesting, and the method in how she died was less risky(fellow friends of mine who also love Agatha Christie argued that the way the murder was carried out in the book was too much of a risk and I actually agree). Molly is also more sympathetic, and the whole Victoria subplot actually helped make that come across as believable. Palgrave addressing everybody in telling his story was also a change that came off remarkably well, it did make it easier for the murderer to overhear what he's saying. As an adaptation, the adaptation is solidly done and generally faithful in spirit. There are changes of course but this is one such occasion where the changes actually made the storytelling better than distracting from it, in recent memory another adaptation that comes to mind in this respect was the Poirot adaptation of Elephants Can Remember. Where the adaptation succeeds even more is how well it works on its own.It is very well made, the tropical scenery is just beautiful and the most colourful easily of the three adaptations, and the photography adds to that quality. The music is rich and sensitively orchestrated, nothing overbearing or annoying. The dialogue is thoughtfully written and always engaging, I didn't feel that it was underdeveloped or too much talk. It feels like Christie's writing too which is another plus. The story is gripping and suspenseful, of this, Hickson's and Hayes' I found this one to be the best paced. The acting is excellent, Julia McKenzie is terrific as ever, less shrewish but charming and intelligent. In support, Hermione Norris' wonderfully cold Evelyn, Charity Wakefield's sympathetic Molly and Anthony Sher's touchingly played Rafiel(loved the final scene) stood out the most. Oliver Ford Davies is good in his appearance, his death scene was very cleverly staged and shot, and while the Dysons were slightly overplayed it didn't detract much at all.Overall, very well done on its own and solidly adapted, one of McKenzie's better outings. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox