Solid scenery and acting, languid pacing

Rating: 7/10 (9 December 2017)

They just don't make movies like this anymore, and I am glad someone decided to make this. The newest film version of the Agatha Christie classic murder mystery MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS is a throwback to an earlier age of movie making - lavish costumes and scenery, a slow- ish moving plot and good scenery chewing scenes acted by an All-Star cast giving everything they got.
Credit Director and star Kenneth Branagh for bringing this old chestnut to the screen. Clearly, Branagh, wanted to bring old fashioned movie-making along with modern CGI to bring this twisted story of murder to the screen - and he (largely) succeeds. The scenery, costumes and sets are lavish to look at (which is why I would recommend you see this on the big screen) and Branagh's acting take on one of Christie's iconic detectives, Hercule Poirot, is fun and engaging, with a mustache that goes on for days.
But, it is the All-Star cast that will bring (and keep) you in the theater - and they deliver (for the most part). Michelle Pfeiffer proves that she still has it, Daisy Ridley is showing that she is more than just a "Jedi", Willem Dafoe continues a late career resurgence, Dame Judy Dench is...well...Dame Judy Dench and Derek Jacobi, Penelope Cruz and Lesley Odom, Jr and Josh Gad all have their moments. But, the "surprise" for me of the bunch was Johnny Depp. He was just about the strongest part of this film (acting-wise) in a part that is "normal", gone are the quirks and kinks of hiding under layers of make-up for the Pirates (and other) films. He just, plain ACTS and he does it well.
Is it a perfect film? Well, no. It unfolds VERY slowly. Branagh lingers his camera on the sets, scenery and costumes and lets the acting unfold as organically as it can be. As a result, I heard more than 1 person snoring during parts of this film in the theater I was in.
So, grab some caffeine, and enjoy an old-fashioned murder mystery. It's worth the journey.
Letter Grade: B ("A" for acting, scenery, costumes), ("C" for pace)