Worthy Remake, Full of Style and Visual Beauty

Rating: 10/10 (14 November 2017)

I am a big fan of the 1974 version with Albert Finney as Poirot and directed by Sydney Lumet. I read that Sir Kenneth Branagh wanted to do a fresh version with a different take so he deliberately did not view the 1974 film. His Poirot is a bit sweeter and more sentimental than the one written for, and acted by, Finney. However, I find him very convincing! There are touches of humor, especially in the first half of the film. The second half is more serious as Poirot realizes he must solve the crime and has limited time to do so.
The cast was excellent, and the scenery whether real or CGI was beautiful. The opulence and grandeur of this kind of train travel in the 1930s came across vividly. If anything, these characters are a bit more touching, a bit less campy and "over the top" than the characters in Lumet's film. That's not a bad thing, it is just a different approach. Even at the end, Poirot displays a little unintentional humor because with his perfectionism, he cannot help himself.
It is a very enjoyable film, and Branagh is a fine actor, always. He makes the film work. That and the sight of alps at sunset!