A monotonous viewing experience

Rating: 5/10 (6 December 2017)

Director/Actor Kenneth Branagh (Dir.: "Cinderella" - 2015, Actor: "Dunkirk" - 2017) and writer Michael Green ("Green Lantern" - 2011) toss CGI special effects, a packed and at times confusing storyline, and all kinds of celebrities (Penelope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Josh Gad, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Judi Dench and a whole slue of others) at this famed Agatha Christie novel turned movie to unexpected boredom. The blame here lies in Branagh's hands, as he stars in and directs. Across the board, the top notch actors seem to be just going through the motions and/or involved in the production as a favor to their friend and theater company member Branagh. It doesn't help that Branagh's direction is overly staged at every turn, to the extend it appears the various scenes start and stop with little smooth transition. So many situation presented just don't make sense here, such as: How does a large train that is derailed get back on the tracks without any machinery? How can characters nonchalantly talk out in the freezing weather without jackets or walking on snow without any sound of the snow crunching below them? If the train isn't not running, how is it that heat, lights and cooking continues, and on and on, and on. One can quickly see how this film will develop from the beginning of the film, where the "Wailing Wall" suddenly becomes a site for one of Hercule Poirot's (Branagh's character) cheesy detective resolutions. The story behind Agatha Christie's novel is all there, it's just Branagh's creepy mustache and mumbling dialogue delivery, coupled with the overly staged scenes and lackluster cast, just make this film a monotonous viewing experience.