Murder on the Orient express: Moustache magnificence

Rating: 7/10 (10 April 2018)

Murder on the Orient Express is considered to be one of the greatest murder mystery stories out there. Agatha Christie's masterpiece has been adapted multiple times and it would only make sense that the king of making movies from classic works of literature Kenneth Branagh would take a roll at the material; this would be the only adaptation scene the 2001 Bollywood adaption and 43 years since the critically acclaimed adaptation in 1972 with Albert Finny. Who else should the reigns be given to then to Kenneth Branagh for such a great book?
Murder on the Orient Express (2017) follows the famous inspector Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh with a ravishingly wonderful moustache) finishing up a case in Istanbul before taking a well deserved break on the one of a kind train the Orient Express, however while on the train shady business man Edward Ratchett gets brutally murdered and it is up to Poirot to solve what might be one of his greatest cases in his life. Because of spoilers I will not say more.
When you take on a role that has been perfected according to some it can be a daunting task, it can be even an impossible on according to others but Kenneth Branagh takes the character and makes it his own. In this case Hercule Poirot is an obsessive compulsive who is able to detect what is wrong in the world and "make it right..." He is also more proactive in this version with him defending himself at certain points him the film. A change that has had some of the hardcore Christie fans cry in anger is the introduction of a past love interest for Poirot, I think it fits the film and the character Kenneth Branagh is portraying as, it also fits into the themes of order vs. chaos and grief. I also believe that Branagh disappears into the role of Poirot, his accent is more believable then any of the previous versions of the character and I just do not seen an actor playing a role I see Hercule Poirot.
The other members of the cast are well chosen for their roles, Johnny Depp is scummy enough to be Ratchett in regards to his performance and Michelle Pfeiffer is brilliant as the irrupting Ms Hubbard while insuring she never gets too annoying and remains sympathetic to the audience. There is also a rather interesting bit of casting with Dr Arbuthnot (Leslie Odom Jr) that adds the commentary of race relations in the 1930s, while it does get dangerously close to peachiness at times it works all the same, I would say the film is decently written if some of the dialogue is a bit blunt.
The film very well shot and looks exceedingly beautiful, lots of soft blues and whites paint very breathtaking views of the mountains, the CGI does look a touch cartoonish especially on the wide outdoor shots of the city and the train, this makes it very jarring when the very next shot has the practical effects in full view. I wonder if a few more days refining the CGI would have made it less jarring.
Some might consider this movie to be a pointless remake; I think that would depend on what you consider to be pointless in regards to remakes. I do think Murder on the Orient Express is not a pointless remake because it tackles different angles and makes itself unique enough to stand out unlike the Nightmare on Elm Street remake or the Carrie remake. I really enjoyed this movie.