Why did they bother?

Rating: 5/10 (8 November 2017)

Why did Kenneth Branagh want to make a third version of this classic Agatha Christie story knowing remakes of classic films rarely are successful?
The previous two versions the film in 1974 with Albert Finney as Hercule Poirot and the 2010 television version with David Suchet are both superb.
If you haven't seen either you probably may enjoy this as I don't criticise the acting or production . It's an interesting cast I enjoyed Michelle Pfeiffer in the role of Caroline Hubbard so classily played in the original by Lauren Bacall and Branagh gives a credible performance as Poirot.
What I missed was the elegance of the original the original score by Richard Rodney Bennett is one of my all time favourite film scores ,used so evocatively in the original film it gave the Orient Express an identity motif forever etched in film history.
The music score in this attempt is bland and the song at the end credits so saccharine sweet and forgettable I've forgotten it already.
If you make a remake film that's so well known you can't help comparing the original cast and in 1974 we had Albert Finney, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall , Dame Wendy Huller , Richard Widmark, Sean Connery, John Gielgud , Rachel Roberts and Vanessa Redgrave to name a few , yet not one of the new cast including Dame Judy Dench eclipses any of the performances of the original film . The costumes and sets are very good in this version but again in 1974 even without blue screens and cgi effects the elegance and luxury of the original is not improved with this version. So to me the good performances and production of this movie were wasted on this expensive film and the tweaking of the story line was totally unnecessary and in one instance concerning the Caroline Hubbard role ridiculous.
Without giving anything away or spoiling it for audiences who haven't seen the original, apart from recommending the 1974 version to this one I was horrified at the hint at the end of the movie that Kenneth Branagh may remake "Death on the Nile"I sincerely hope not. What next will we a have Kenneth Branagh remake of Gone With The Wind starting himself as Rhett Butler and Anne Hathaway as Scarlett?