What made the book so great was that all the clues were given to you so you could take your time and try to solve it. However, this style won't work for a two hour long movie so the right call was made to turn the focus away from all the extremely complex clues and towards the characters and their back stories. The filmmakers didn't fully commit to this however, so what you're left with is an unfocused, unoriginal and badly paced mess which fails to capture any of the charm of the earlier movie or the book.
Notable Parts
- The performances of Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench and Daisy Ridley
- The beautiful period costumes and sets
- Impressive and creative cinematography, even if it is a bit unnecessary at times
Worst Parts
- The adaptation work, although it is evident they tried and had good ideas
- Unnecessary action that makes badly paced
- The dead squirrel that was glued to Branagh's face
- Terrible cgi
While nothing special, its at least enjoyable, although I would never recommend it or watch it again.
[5.6/10] WARNING: Vague References to Spoilers
Murder on the Orient Express rises and falls on the strength of its main creative force, with Kenneth Branagh pulling double duty as both star and director. He assumes the role of Hercule Poirot, the protagonist of a long series of Agatha Christie mysteries. And in his attempt to bring one of literature’s famous figures to life, Branagh goes at the effort with full bore, both behind and in front of the camera.
But Braunaugh’s new cinematic persona is more caricature than character, more mustache than man. Murder wants it both ways – it wants Poirot to be a man teeming with quirks and cartoonish qualities, while also having this fraught moral journey over the course of the film.
Those two goals aren’t necessarily incompatible. There’s no reason outsized characters can’t be brought down to earth for stark realizations or play with different tones at different points in the production. But Murder never really threads that needle. Instead, Poirot is introduced as a man devoted to the notion of an exacting, impossible symmetry to the world, and a moral code to match, that tracks as silly (mostly in a good way), only to then ask the audience to feel the weight of that code being challenged by the events on that train, in a way that rarely lines up with the figure Branagh's detective cuts.
I have to give Murder this though. While somewhat simplistic for this day and age, it commits to giving Poirot that journey, albeit one that can’t help but feel a bit rote in the post-Sopranos age where morally compromising protagonists are a dime a dozen. There’s a least the germ of a good idea here – that Poirot can’t stand to perceive anything in the world being out of place, literally or spiritually, but comes to accept a shade more of complexity once he starts trying to uncover what’s been made askew on the titular train. In the decades since the novel the film’s based on was released, that mild transformation can’t help but feel a little rudimentary, but it’s also sturdy enough as a place for the character to go.
It’s just a bit of a slog to get from point A to point B. The best thing to recommend Murder is its cast, filled with both heavy hitters, talented character actors, and resurgent stars from years past. The film tries to take advantage of this fact, positioning itself as an actor’s showcase. While there’s a handful of scenes featuring the interactions of the whole lot, the showpieces of Murder are, more often, the more intimate scenes between Branagh and one of his many co-stars, as Poirot interrogates the passengers on the train.
The problem is that most of these scenes fall pretty flat. For whatever reason, Branaugh just cannot find the right chemistry between himself and his fellow performers, either as an actor or a director. None of the performances in the film sink to the level of bad – these are all pros and everyone manages to hit “good enough” at worst – but none really sparkles either.
The one exception on both counts is the pairing between Branagh and Daisy Ridley of Star Wars fame. Whatever the reason, there’s something about the eccentric kindness of Branaugh’s Poirot and the young but not exactly naïve qualities of Ridley’s Mary Hermione Debenham that sync up better than any other duo in the film. Murder comes alive in the scenes where the two are on screen together (something the editors seem to acknowledge given how these scenes are spotlighted) while remaining sleepy almost everywhere else.
That sleepiness could be mistaken for elegance. Murder is a film that wants to impress you with its costuming and period flourishes, as a fun little picture box of the 1930s. It has the slick look of a costume drama while indulging in its pulpier thrills. But it’s also a bit confused on that front. While the characters cut the figures of sophisticates with secrets to match their class, the film occasionally tries to lurch out of that well-clad stuffiness and embrace oddly gratuitous CGI fireworks or the cheap fisticuffs and high drama of any old action movie. The one-room mystery quality of Murder gives it some intrigue out of the gate, but when it departs from those cozy confines for Branaugh, it feels miscalibrated.
Unfortunately, the film’s take on the mystery is no great shakes either. While a nice spine to anchor Murder’s mustache-driven cast interactions around, the movie suffers from the inevitable compression that comes when hundreds of pages of a novel are winnowed into a two hour production.
While a book, particularly a mystery book, gives the reader enough time to meet each character, get to know them a little while evaluation their possible motives and alibis, and then be appropriately surprised or reassured when the answer to “whodunit” is revealed, the film version of Murder, understandably, spends most of its early run introducing us to Poirot, and a few others. Then we get bare, drive-by introductions for the rest of the cast, only to dive right into whether they might have some grudge or connection to the deceased. It makes each twist have less impact than the last, as some shocking character reveal is only shocking if you feel like you know who a character was supposed to be when it’s shown who they really are.
Instead, Murder lands with a thud in the final act, with the grandest twist of them all that has the slightest bit of juice from its novelty as an answer to the “whodunit” that’s retained all these years later, but gets lost in the overwrought drama of a desired emotional reaction that the film never really earns. There’s good bits and pieces here – there couldn’t help but be with this many talented actors in the cast – but they’re never connected or distinctive enough to make the tapestry the film means to weave seem compelling.
Instead, Murder on the Orient Express is a perfectly fine film, something that amounts to some tasty-enough cinematic candy for the period piece set. It rarely holds your attention, but never causes you to turn away either, giving you just enough moments of levity or intrigue to stick around while never quite offering enough to draw you in. The closing moments of the film promise more adventures for the mustachioed detective, but if they come, let’s hope they manage to stay on track better than this one did.
An exquisite cast delivering lackluster performances (except for Michelle Pfeiffer at the end of the movie). A wasted opportunity to make an old classic shine again.
For a film with a cast like this, what’s remarkable about it is how little each of the suspects stand out. Each gets their moment with Branagh’s Poirot and as the film progresses and the connections to the backstory become evident, the denouement and final reveal take on much less importance. It is almost something of an anticlimax when the solution is revealed. As a murder mystery then, the film doesn’t really work very well and interest in the central story gradually fades. It is fortunate then that Branagh’s take on Poirot is the main point of interest and one that keeps the film afloat throughout. Branagh has a lot of fun with Poirot but also provides the character with the only meaningful development in the film as his philosophy on what is right and what is wrong is challenged. Perhaps Branagh felt that the book and mystery are well known and therefore he needed to take a different approach, but there are plenty, including myself, who did not know and can’t help feel a little shortchanged in how Branagh approaches one of Christie’s most famous plots. Enjoyable enough but flawed in its execution.
A predictable mess of a movie. The pacing is awful, the characters are boring and uninspired, and the twists and turns were all very transparent. Myself and the misses had the ending figured out with half an hour before the reveal, which made the last 45 minutes of the movie excruciatingly slow. Don't bother with this movie, there are much better whodunnits to see.
It was an amazing movie and this is one of the best detective story ever.
I think people enjoyed the novel more than the movie so for better experience read the book first.
The only thing is that they can make a hell of a show out of this instead of a movie.
It would have been great.
Looks like i was wrong they really made a hell of a TV show called Poirot : https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094525/?ref_=ttep_ep_tt
I really was impressed by the consumes. Unfortunately, it seems they got the costume designers to write the script too.
Knowing the story and having seen the original movie, and without wildly reimagining both of those, I'm not sure how they could have remade this movie much better. Acting and characters were good, and Branagh was great. I thought the dialogue was well done, and it was enjoyable to watch. It's really just a classic whodunnit mystery, and anyone expecting more of a thriller will probably be disappointed.
I am a huge Agatha Christie’s fan and have read all of her books, some multiple times. This movie was, as expected, really disappointing.
Instead of investing so much into famous actors they should have hired screen writers who stay true to the original sentiment and character of Christie’s greatest detective, Hercule Poirot. I do not understand how you can change a character so much to make him the most boring person ever and add incredible stupid action that doesn’t help the story but make it worse. It’s a typical Hollywood flick that is trying too hard to target the biggest audience possible. What is wrong with Poirot’s mustache? Why would the train be derailed like this and especially, what is up with the mysterious thunderstorm or at least lightning that will start an avalanche?! An avalanche that directly hits the train but I lay slightly derails is…
I could probably go on but it hurts to even think back on all the horrible atrocities.
I watched this with a friend and my sister and we were all expecting someone else to be the murderer, so it was fun to see how it was going to end. For me, the storyline could have been a bit more exciting maybe, but all the actors did an amazing job! Such a big cast as well, I love it! One thing that really stood out for me was the camera work. It felt like they "slid" through the story and it made me feel like I was apart of it all.
I really enjoyed it. My sister said she wished more happened throughout the movie. So I guess it's not for everyone but I really enjoyed the speculation and the unravelling of the whole mystery. Also, the camera work and characters were a big plus for me. Personally, I recommend you give Murder on the Orient Express a go. Even if it's only to see Kenneth Branagh his amazing directing/acting skills.
Soooo glad I didn't pay to watch this. Fell asleep numerous times through the movie. Forgot how uninteresting, pretentious and long-winded the Poirot character is.
The story is a classic and for a good reason. Absolutely fantastic plot, although I imagine it could lose something if you already know it. In that there is a really solid cast, along with beautiful cinematography.
I did find some issues, though. Aside from Poirot, the characters were presented really fast and not that well in the first few minutes, leaving me a bit confused. During the second act, i felt like the movie was being repetitive, with Poirot remarking the same facts multiple times (of the people I went to see the movie with, only I got that impression).
Overall, I'd say it's a weak 8/10. It could have been much better, but it's still very entertaining.
4/10
No Way near as good as the original.
With an all star cast
I expected more.
I found it all bloated and over dramatic and rather boring really. Never showed you the murdered victim I didn't like the ending and it was all just over complicated
(Very unnecessary).
On for way to long,
Over stayed it's welcome.
Right at the end was cool how it goes into the next
Famous iconic murder
Death on the Nile.
Bad. I just read the book and it gives 1000 laps to the movie. They have taken unnecessary licenses. The movie is bland. You can save it.
What a waste of cast. With such great actors/actresses, what a film without substance.
I was expecting a so bad it’s good, but unfortunately, it was just a mediocre and forgettable movie like many others. It’s kind of sad that they spent most of the budget on the cast, as they mostly phoned in their performances. I am glad to watch a classic whodunit after so many years, but I hoped they would at least come up with an original story or choose a less-known book to adapt. It’s hard to forget the resolution of one of the most famous murders in literature.
A great mix of fun and pulpy murder mystery that harkens heavily to the days of Agatha Christie's enthralling mysteries. Unfortunately, while evocative of that type of roller coaster, it falters in its execution with a less than ideal pacing and some weird choices in editing and direction that take it a little too far in that direction which makes it seem almost farcical. If the direction was held back just a tad, it might have been one for the ages. Alas, it was a bit too self-indulgent which gave the game away
No problem with the casting... Branagh isn't David Suchet but he's decent enough. The rest of the all-star cast aren't caricatures of their usual stereotypes.
The issue I had with it is the plot.
A murder mystery needs something of a finite ending. And this doesn't really meet that requirement. It seems a bit of a cop out to end it the way it does.
A shame really.
6.5/10
I Haven't read the book so i was not dissapointed but the script was not the strong part from this movie for sure.It was well made,fast paced and with great cast but nothing to remember.
6.9/10
A killer cast with dull execution.
With the cast in place it should have been much better.
Functional adaptation of the Christie perennial, but one problem stands out. If you are already familiar with the story, much of the suspense and enjoyment factor is removed. Knowing who did it negates the mystery. Still, it's worth a watch, the cast are great (though some are given to little work with), and the plot, old as it is, still has some power behind it.
Boring from the very beginning. I was really motivated when I saw such great actors but in the end it was disappointing. Horrible.
bad characters, bad dialogues... when pfeiffer got the knife on her back it was clear for me she had a clear paper in the crime Pretty boring and i almost fell asleep
A story based on Agatha Christie's best seller. Good movie, which has a select team of stars. The story could be much more enriched and with much more mystery. Enjoy the trip!
A good reboot with a fine cast and smart script.. worth a ticket... on the right tracks all the way through.. good performance from Kenneth Branagh
A thrilling adventure that steams ahead, despite a few faults on the line.
Having not seen any of the previous adaptations or read the original novel, I was pleasantly surprised by this. The characters are all presented rather well, there are some outstanding bits of cinematography and the music is great in building tension throughout.
However, there are a few pacing issues within the 2nd act which tends to feel a little repetitive as all the characters are outlined and Kenneth Branagh does put himself at the centre of the film. This ultimately leads to some weak storytelling in terms of the overall twist and reveals towards the end but creates a great murder-mystery overall.
Agatha Christie, a truly magnificent moustache and a mystery to be solved. Add to that a spectacular cast, fine acting and gorgeous scenery. I have to say that my anticipation of this movie was greater than it's realization, but I still give it a 7 (good) out of 10. Kenneth Branagh said all he did was assemble a highly talented cast and then just sat back and watched the magic. Although I believe he was underselling his worth to the production, I'm sure just watching people steeped in their craft bring the goods was a privilege. Olivia Coleman said to just be able to sit and hold a dog while watching Dame Judy perform was brilliant. [Crime, Mystery, Drama, Remake]
Sadly nowhere nearly as good as it should have been. The film had a fantastic cast (and Johnny Depp too), a great director at the helm, and wonderful source material, but somehow it managed to almost completely fall flat. Odd things from the original story were changed apparently just for the sake of it, I could see no other reason for the changes. Although there were some good performances, there was nothing that stood out, which, as I said, with a cast like that, seems rather odd. Somewhat of a wasted opportunity really.
I felt bad enough for paying to see a movie that featured Depp, and surely my wickedness in supporting a women abuser was punished - I hated this. This OCD, strangely emotional version of Poirot looked great but tasted bitter. Strange details from the original story were changed, and I just cannot understand why, as the original was extremely concise and clever as it was, even if it did not feature action scenes where people got shot and chased. A lot of the character's background was cut, which took away from that great "assembling the puzzle" feel readers get from Agatha Christie. It just felt so... superficial. I did not get into any of the characters as I did in the novel. The interviews were short, and gave me no emotional connection to them and their past. The only positive thing is that everything was very pretty. Unfortunately, pretty was not I wanted.
Also, I am very upset that they made Helena to join in the stabbing. There was meaning in her abstinence from it.
A little slow and boring. The 2nd act feels very repetitive. This movie is mostly dialogue and some of the accents make it a little hard to understand everything being said. This is a problem when you are trying to follow along and think about the clues.
I loved seeing Daisy Ridley. I hope she starts doing more movies. And I'm glad it was Johnny Depp getting murdered.
I enjoyed this mystery film. And even though I already knew the ending as I had seen a different adaptation, it still kept me hooked. The cast was well suited for their roles and all played a very good part. Some of my favourite actors are in this too so that helps.
Goddamn, this movie has no right to be as boring as it is and also have a budget of 50 million dollars. There's a few nuggets of gold, some good and even great scenes here and there with combination of score and decent cinematography; but overall, I kept checking the time like every 10 minutes. Whenever I watch a movie, and I'm constantly waiting for the movie to just end, or I'm checking the time in boredom, the movie automatically gets a below average rating. The number one goal of any filmmaker should be to keep the audience interested. I was not interested throughout the majority of this. Nothing gripped me. There was no tension. The style just didn't lend itself to this kind of story. I don't know who looked at this final product and decided it would work in appealing to a mainstream audience. It's slothy with poor pacing, mediocre acting, half-decent music, amateurish camera work, and only a couple good scene set-ups. I can now say with full confidence I think Daisy Ridley is a bad actress...
I really don't know what else to say. Just don't bother with it. I'm going to go watch the original by Sidney Lumet now. Should be way more interesting and worthwhile. I need to get into the habit of just walking out of movies I don't like. I've never done it, but I need to start doing it.
I have no idea how a movie with THIS cast, based on a book I love, and with such a wealth of experience and potential...can be this "meh".
What in the world went wrong here Branagh???
Bery nicely done movie. The visuals are stunning, especially in 4K.
I've never read MotOE before so I don't know if it differs from the book. I will say that this is not the most red herring plot twisty mystery movie I've ever seen. Of course that title goes to Clue but this film isn't even second place. There are turns and just a few twists. Enough that I felt satisfied but not so many that it felt cheesy. A big thing for me with mystery media is whether or not I could have solved it. One of the most frustrating things for me reading The Red Headed League (iirc) was that the key clue for Sherlock was dirt on the knees of a man who came to the door. A clue that was not described and thus I had no chance to untangle. It's much easier and thus much less forgivable in visual media for clues to be hidden away where I can't see them.
All of this to conclude that MotOE does a good job of providing clues that someone paying attention could pick up on. I didn't solve everything but when Poirot solved a question I felt like I immediately saw how he did it and that if I had wanted to pause the film I might have been able to solve it as he did. Not for every clue or every twist but for enough that I felt satisfied. All in all I was happy with it.
I haven't read the Agatha Christie books yet, I have no idea how the book is, but I liked it as a movie. It has a wonderful staff.
They murdered Hercule Poirot. I loved costumes, train and atmosphere. I don't like how was Hercule written.
so what happened when i sat with my blind dog andrei was a ridiculous waste of me and andreis time. the wailing wall with a stick inside it?? i meqn hellooooooo whos inserting sticks in sad walls.
even my blind dog andrei didn't like. bad wigs. kenneth looks like sh#t that moustache looked like satans whiskers. andrei was nog impressed. to cut a horse in half, to get to the point - the movie, a disaster, everyone bad. especially johnny deeep. i cry to sleep nohttps://media.tenor.com/6guCYKvjVcAAAAAM/sad-sad-spongebob-gif.gif
The original had its flaws but was interesting and fun, this remake is an embarrassing copy with minor variations and added fight scenes for the sake of modernity.
4/10 - for the actors who clearly tried to make the most out of what rubbish they were given.
As a fan of murder mysteries, I have to say that while Murder on the Orient Express has its moments, there is definitely room for improvement. While the film's all-star cast delivers strong performances, the pacing can be slow at times, and some of the characters feel underdeveloped. Additionally, while the plot is certainly intriguing, there are other murder mysteries out there with more complex and satisfying resolutions.
I've neither read the book or watched any previous iterations of the film. So I can not speak to it's fidelity to the source material but I have to assume it doesn't do a good job at that because this movie was bad. The clues were pulled out of thin air, the entire cast felt like background characters and the reveal was completely unearned.
Quite disappointed by how much this movie deviates from the Original book
I have not read the original book, so I will not say anything about the plot. However, as it sometimes happens, a movie full of stars does not always shine beautifully. ;)
Clearly overrated for its cast.
The first version (1974) is so much better
The Five Emojis of Murder on the Orient Express
:heart_eyes:
:smiley:
A star-struck cast with many different personas; the film mostly manages to give everyone enough space.
Kenneth Branagh has crafted a stylish film that captures the look and feel of the era.
Some very interesting choices of camera placements, giving us a good understanding of the tight space onboard the train.
As a character-driven film the different characters do feel distinct and are all well performed.
:neutral_face:
Branagh is alright as Poirot, even though he is clearly overshadowed by better performances by other actors.
Refreshing to see a remake that has not been made into an action spectacle, but retained the Christie feel from the novel. This decision makes the film very slow and at times dragged out as well.
The best jokes land just right, but most of the humor feels too forced to be funny.
It's a shame Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench and Willem Dafoe don't have bigger roles.
:frowning2:
This version brings nothing new to the table, and that's a crucial mistake for a story that has been adapted several times.
The solution to the mystery feels too simple and doesn't really satisfy.
Most of the stuff before the murder is uninteresting but pivotal.
The middle part is very repetitive and dragged out and the ending should have been more forceful.
There's a lack of proper excitement and tension.
:face_vomiting:
The Final Emoji: :neutral_face:
This was... fine, but if you're hoping for some mind-blowing reveal to the somewhat slow-building mystery, you're going to be let down. The ending feels like a bit of a cop out (I don't want to spoil anything, so that's all you get), but fits with what is established. The cast is great, but everyone is doing their best impressions of caricatures from films of old, so that may or may not be grating at times. For a period piece whodunit... again, it's fine, but nothing much above average.
Book to film for the win..
a great cast for an ordinary movie. i've expecting a good plot twist and what i received is a simple solution for the case. the photography is beautiful but didn't save this mess.
Meh, with all this star power this is a story they muster no thank you.
Kenneth Branagh did a marvelous job both directing and leading this movie. What an exceptional talent this man is. Absolutely loved every minute of it. Acting, cinematography, soundtrack, all were incredibly well done.
It was a fine mystery murder movie and hated how the movie end
This was the dullest movie I've ever seen, surprising for a murder mystery, and the most classic one at that.
cannot believe Michelle Pleffer is the girl from Scarface, 30 years passed away
The movies looks beautiful in every regard and the cast is great. You could make the argument that they are all equally good as well as you could say no one stood out. With that much characters in a movie you are not given much screen time with the exception, of course, for the lead. The plot itself is a classic crime drama which is presented in an entertaining way. Personally I would like to see another Poirot movie.
consciences, justices, or free from crime, no, maybe, "may you find peace with this, may we, all."
What a boring remake - was expecting so much more! Great cast though.
An interesting murder mystery with quirky characters who have some really entertaining interactions. Love Branagh's take on Poirot. Even though the twist is ultimately kind of ridiculous, I think it's entertaining enough.
I like the lead character that Branagh plays, but it isn't Hercule Poirot. Nonetheless, they don't mess too much with the original story in any other ways -- beyond one historically inaccurate nod to diversity, given that black and white Americans did not serve in the same units in WWI -- and the production values are great. Mix in some some solid and subtle performances and the end result is a decent film worth seeing.
Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz and Willem Dafoe make the most of their paper-thin characters. Amazing performances.
The story is great, but it doesn't fit in a single movie, things happen too fast. They should've made a 9-episode mini-series instead.
I didn't feel that this movie was almost two hours long. It was so well done, I loved the actors, a great talented cast, a beautiful script. A truly thrilling mystery. Very enjoyable, in my humble opinion.
How does this work???Please!
One of the all time great "mysteries" revisited with an all star cast, great direction, & clever cinematography that delivered wonderfully. I only regret not seeing it sooner.
this is good film an
what an amazing movie, its been a while since i watched such organised scenario and story, Agatha never faild. great cast and script, keeps you attached and focused all the 2 hrs, well played and unexpected ending. worth watching.
what a beautifully shot movie. The Landscapes were breathtaking and the acting was superb.
This beautifully shot. Great acting. But in the end this a mystery that any fan of pop culture doubtlessly knows the conclusion to, which makes it flat. 6/10
I was tired when I watched this movie, ended up falling asleep halfway through. Not a lot of cinema music, mostly dialogue. And unfortunately I could not understand Hercule's thick accent. Also, because it was a detective-type movie and I was trying to piece together the subtle clues, I kept thinking back to how Sherlock's method of showing the viewer what is running through his mind as he slowly gathers clues, but it never happened. I left before the movie finished so I still have no idea whodunit. Maybe when it comes out on Bluray I can watch it 30min at a time and stay awake. :)
Shout by Saint PaulyBlockedParent2017-12-19T00:08:35Z
Advancements in technology alone never justify remaking a classic. If you're not going to make it better, make it differently. If you're not going to make it differently, don't remake it.