A different Orient Express, far inferior

Rating: 3/10 (14 June 2018)

One wondered if and when someone might take "Murder on the Orient Express," and turn it into a modern, fast-action thriller. Well, this 2017 rendition by 20th Century Fox does just that. Only it still takes place in the 1930s. Except for the supposed setting, it's updated to modern production methods as a vehicle to sate the adrenalin rush needs of a chunk of modern society.
While the plot resembles Agatha Christie's original, it has a huge cast with many more characters. Among them are a priest, a rabbi and an imam. The Orient Express no longer appears as the exclusive train service it was. The dining car looks like the inside of a fast food restaurant - stark, plain and modern. A funny scene has most of the suspects seated, just one or two to a table, in the dining car.
Kenneth Branagh directed this film and starred as Hercule Poirot. Fox and company shot for a big-name cast but couldn't even come close to the 1974 film with the main characters. The only big names of the principals are Johnny Depp as Ratchett, Michelle Pfeiffer as Caroline Hubbard and Judi Dench as an aged princess. Some other well-known stars had new roles created for this film but with no tie to the original. They include Penelope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, and Willem Dafoe.
Branagh's Poirot appears more to be a dashing 21st century detective with a clownish mustache. The mustache is so outlandish and broad one could hang a hat on either end. Agatha Christie gave Poirot a large mustache, but the one in this film looks more like the horns of a longhorn steer. True to the modern need for speed and action, this one has gun shooting, an avalanche and a derailment, outdoor action around the train, and CGI that all but flashes the message, "this isn't real."
One can't fault actors for wanting to play in a new rendition of a great film and story. But when the story takes on a different life and the setting departs so much from the feel and sense of original, everyone misses out. The feel of the cast is 21st century, not that of people living in the 1930s. The opportunity to compare performances with those before is lost.
The design for this film seems obvious - to garner the viewing and cash of an audience driven by an insatiable desire for action. With the 2010 ITV production that starred David Suchet, and the original 1974 classic films so well done for Christie's novel, it would have been foolish for anyone to try to match or outdo them. But, something different and quirky just might appeal to a different audience. Apparently, this film did that - for some, but not nearly enough to have it rate alongside - or even near the two great productions of "Murder on the Orient Express."