Not awful, but not great either. Just a decent, probably unnecessary remake.

Rating: 6/10 (4 December 2017)

I saw this film at the request of a friend, and was less excited going in than I usually am when I go to see a new movie, as I saw this movie getting mediocre reviews. That being said, this is a very decent film. If you like movies that are shot and acted in a very traditional way, you'll like this film. That is to say, it's a murder mystery, which isn't done much these days, as well as mostly shot in one small location, which doesn't happen in most films as of late. It has some really great talent in it as well, but does do that thing where there's big name talent that doesn't do much (like, Judi Dench is great as always, but WHY IS SHE HERE SHE HAS LIKE ONE SCENE). If you already know the story of this film, as it is a remake, you could probably skip it, as from what I can tell there really isn't anything new done here. It's very well shot, with the acting and directing performance from Kenneth Branagh being very notable, he does a great job in both roles in this. The whole cast does a pretty good job (Daisy Ridley, Leslie Odom Jr., Josh Gad, Judi Dench and ESPECIALLY William Defoe are all favorites here), although there are a few corny line deliveries and the computer effects and makeup are sometimes kinda distracting (at one point I turned to my friend and asked; "It's 2017, why does the train look like the Polar Express?"). Overall, I'd say if you're a fan of old movies, you'll like this film. It doesn't have anything offensively bad with it, it's just not the best film in the theater right now. 6.8/10