Most critics find Dead Again an entertaining romantic mystery whose theatrical excess is a large part of its appeal. Praise centres on Kenneth Branagh’s exuberant direction, the chemistry between Branagh and Emma Thompson, and the use of colour and black-and-white to connect the film’s different eras. The favourable reviews enjoy its old-fashioned melodrama and elaborate flourishes, treating the story’s absurdities as a tolerable cost of the fun.
The spread is wide, however, and the same flourishes draw sharply different responses. Even sympathetic critics raise doubts about the convoluted plotting, unresolved questions and implausibilities, while Empire finds that the contemporary and 1940s elements never credibly fit together. Time Out goes further, rejecting the construction and lead performances, and finding the score and art direction overbearing. The central division is over how much narrative nonsense the film’s style and romantic chemistry can make enjoyable.