Pretty good, really

Rating: 7/10 (24 March 2018)

Murder on the Orient Express is Kenneth Branaugh's comfortable but generally somewhat uninspired take on the traditional star-studded, handsomely-mounted Christie adaptation.
Some things are very good. I really like Branaugh's version of Poirot. While not quite as perfect as David Suchet, Branaugh is appealing and thoughtful, and it's wonderful that there is finally a Poirot with the sort of over-the-top mustache one always imagined from the book's descriptions. I prefer him to Albert Finney, who was never my concept of the character.
I also really liked the final reveal, which got a fair amount of drama out of the traditional detective-explains-it-all scene.
The cast was quite good, particulary Johnny Depp as something other than a cartoon character.
Some things put me off a bit. Giving Poirot some OCD seems both unnecessary and a rip-off of the TV series Monk. And putting Poirot in a couple of action scenes was just odd. These sorts of attempts to add flash to Christie rarely work out; the woman knew how to construct a story.
Overall, the movie was enjoyable but never quite riveting. I knew the solution, so for me it was about watching the way it was all done, and it felt generally a little muted. I was interested, but rarely fully engaged.
At the end of the movie there's a reference to the book that was used as a sequel to the last MOE. Are they going to try that one again? It didn't work out very well last time, and Christie has a lot of books to choose from, but I guess I'm okay with that.
I recall enjoying the 70s MOE more, although I don't know what I would think of it now. As recent Christie adaptations go, it's not as good as the minseries of And Then There Were Done but it's much better than the dreary Crooked House. I do hope they do a sequel, but I also hope they get a little more life into any future productions.