Film Review: Murder on the Orient Express

This film is finally here! I feel like I say this at the beginning of most of my film reviews, but I have been waiting so long for this movie to come out. From the moment I watched that trailer, I was hooked in my this remake and the idea of seeing Branagh take on the iconic role of Hercule Poirot.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see this opening night as we already had plans, but we went to our local Cineworld (using our Unlimited Cards - get yours here) first thing the next day.

I will say that I was clearly so excited to see this film that I rushed out of the house and sat down in my cinema seat, only to realise I'd forgotten my glasses. Luckily I was in my favourite seat (central in the front row of the main section) and I don't desperately need them, so I could see everything just fine. 

Anyway, this is what I thought of the film...

So, let's start with the casting...

What. A. Cast.

Honestly, I couldn't have chosen a better line-up for this film. Kenneth Branagh is spectacular in everything he does, he's one of my favourite actors (and he does a very good job of directing too) and I think he is the perfect Poirot.

The rest of the cast is also spectacular. There are so many big names in this film, but none of them overshadow the others, it's a perfect balance. They all get their moment to be the focus, but you're soon turning to someone else and they're just as brilliant. I think Josh Gad did a fantastic job, Daisy Ridley was brilliant in her role and Johnny Depp was his usual talented self. I know there's a lot going around about Johnny Depp at the moment, but you can't dispute the man's skills on screen.

I have to make a special mention about the music in this movie. Patrick Doyle, who did the music for the live-action Cinderella film from last year - which was also directed by Kenneth Branagh - did a fantastic job with the score. I adored the music and I found myself really listening to it, which I don't usually do in movies. I pay attention to it, but I actually found myself purely focusing on the sound at times, which was incredible. Music makes all the difference and this went perfectly.

It's been years since I read the book (I think I was in high school, or possibly my first year of college) and I couldn't remember everything of the storyline. However, I did remember the ending and how it all unfolds, so it was good to see that they didn't change that up, from what I recall. It's one of those films that really gets you thinking and gets you involved as you try to solve the murder as well. It's just a classic and remakes don't always work, but for me this did.

I gave this film:

For me, this remake was just perfect. They didn't go over the top with it, they had a spectacular cast and it was everything I had hoped it would be. Even if you don't think this film is for you I would still highly recommend watching it.