--- title: "Dead Again: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/dead-again/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/dead-again" critics_score: 65 critics_reviews: 9 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Dead Again (1991): what the critics said Critics' score 65 from 9 reviews: 6 positive, 1 mixed, 2 negative. 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. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 23 August 1991. Ebert praises the film as a grand, theatrical romance-mystery in the vein of classic melodramas like Rebecca or Vertigo, suited for fans of bold gestures. He highlights Branagh's flair for direction and the effective use of dual roles by Branagh and Thompson. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/dead-again-1991) ## The AV Club — Adam Nayman Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 February 2015. The critic praises Branagh's florid, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink directorial style in this 1991 thriller as a refreshing contrast to kitchen-sink realism. He singles out the gender-flipped reincarnation twist and the romantic chemistry between Branagh and Thompson for particular note. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/love-and-reincarnation-kenneth-branagh-style-1798276491) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1990. The review notes Branagh brings zest and bravura style to this mystery-thriller of murder, hypnosis and reincarnation. It highlights the engaging film style buoyed by infectious fun, strong performances especially from Jacobi, and stylized black-and-white flashbacks. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1990/film/reviews/dead-again-2-1200428954/) ## Slant Magazine — Odie Henderson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 30 August 2016. The critic appreciates Branagh's gleefully fetishistic Hitchcockian homage and oversized dramatic flourishes in this reincarnation mystery. He singles out the bombastic score and visual parallels between the black-and-white and color sequences for praise. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/summer-of-91-kenneth-branaghs-dead-again/) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 23 August 1991. Canby describes the film as a convoluted but entertaining romantic mystery melodrama that knowingly homages overripe 1940s Warner Bros.-style films. He notes its fun despite story absurdities and a somewhat commonplace ending. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/23/movies/review-film-branagh-s-dead-again-homage-to-40-s-fiction.html) ## The New Yorker Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 9 September 1991. The review calls it an entertaining exercise in high-style inconsequentiality with a lovely frivolous and spooky mood, shuttling breezily between eras. It praises the giddiness and flair but notes the picture crashes down with unresolved enigmas and a failure to address implausibilities. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1991/09/09/1991-09-09-076-tny-cards-000146376) ## Empire — Angie Errigo Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The film is an ambitious but spectacular failure that may become a camp cult classic. It fails to credibly blend its contemporary and 1940s reincarnation noir elements despite nods to classic filmmakers. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/dead-review/) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The review dismisses the film as a lame and incoherent romantic psychological thriller that makes no sense, with sloppy construction, clichés, and dreadful lead performances from Branagh and Thompson. It singles out the overbearing Hitchcockian score and OTT art direction as further distractions from the film's central premise. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/dead-again-1) ## Eye for Film — Gabriella Trybalska Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 5 April 2002. The critic finds the film an enjoyable whodunit with an unexpected ending, praising Kenneth Branagh's direction for its beautiful use of color and black-and-white, fast editing, and mounting tension, as well as the wonderful chemistry between Branagh and Emma Thompson. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/dead-again-film-review-by-gabriella-trybalska) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/dead-again.md