A visual treat devoid of precision

Rating: Null/10 (14 February 2018)

To begin with, 'Murder on the Orient Express', in general, is an absolute treat to the eyes for its cinematography, the acting and the music score. It creates that dramatic flair that good movies have in tthem. However, for those who have read the book of the same name by the genius, Agatha Christie, the movie is definitely a step down in terms of content. Nothwithstanding the fact that it is not possible to include every little detail of the book into the movie, but it did feel as if the movie missed out on certain key moments which was quite an important part of the book. The movie began really strongly, with a precise portrayal of the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, the colourful visual setting and certain other nits and bits did altogether set the stage for a truly pleasing next 100 minutes or so. Tha being said, once the characters were introduced and settled and the movie really picked pace, ironically, it somehow was inconsistent in its approach. It changed pace quite bizzarely and almost rushed too quickly to the end, leaving lots of important moments to the book only. On the brighter side, the performance of Kenneth Branagh, who also is the director of the movie, was really impressive and I never had any difficulties picturing him as the Hercule Poirot, so much loved in the book. He did carry the movie on his shoulders throughout the middle portion. Great support from Penelope Cruz, Daisy Ridley, Judy Dench and co. provided with some sort of flair to the movie. One slight blemish that kind of stuck out like a sour thumb was Johnny Depp's performance. In general, I rate him very highly as an actor, and he had treated us with some outstanding performances over the years, but, and it's just a personal inference, he in his recent movies, his acting has becoma quite monotonous and predictable. His voice always takes me back to the Jack Sparrow days and sometimes it helps me liking him more in the movie, but on this particular film, it was more a nuisance than a relief. The movie has it's fair share of inconsistencies, but it all faded away during the final moments, especially in the final couple of scenes. The way it has been put forward is a visual treat and is largely responsible for making this movie from a "onetime thing" to a geniunely good movie.
To sum up the movie in a sentence, it is good, but less than its potential.