Review of Murder on the Orient Express (2017) by Davrosdaleks1 — 07 Apr 2018

There are some people who love this and some who hate this. I'm the former.

I admit the plot isn't perfect. There is some difficulty juggling all the characters, some of Poirot's deductions seem more like very lucky guesswork, and not enough info. is given for the audience to look back and say they could have figured the movie out. Still, the movie was still very entertaining to me. Yes, the original movie was far better plotted and made more sense. However, it was very slow-paced. This one is far more breezy and entertaining.

Visually, the film looks great containing vintage-looking sets and costumes with bright lighting and colors. Music and some creative camera work really set the mood. Stick around for the end credits. There's a very good song there. What the script lacks in plotting, it makes up with good dialogue, both the funny and dramatic variety.

The acting's all top notch, which is to be expected from such an all-star cast. Unfortunately, what with there being so many characters, not all of them get the chance so shine as brightly as others. Still Michelle Pfeiffer, Josh Gad, and Willem Dafoe all have some great scenes.

As for Kenneth Branagh, I really liked him in the role as Hercule Poirot. It isn't easy for a mainstream film these days to star an eccentric middle-aged guy who isn't action-oriented, but Brannagh pulls it off. He plays Poirot's many moods quite well. He's at times comically eccentric, a serious fighter of crime, rude, or extremely likable. If you don't have the patience for following a mystery and drama, this movie isn't for you. But, I highly recommend this to everyone else.