Murder on the Orient Express (2017): A Review

Murder on the Orient Express official promo graphic ©20th Century Fox

Hello, my lovelies!

I went to see a movie last night with one of my closest friends and since it falls into the criteria for my review series I thought I would share it all with you!

Given that this is a mystery and one that only just came out (the movie, anyway) this review will be spoiler free. So even if you haven’t seen the movie, you can proceed safely.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017)

3.5 Stars

When a murder occurs on the train he's travelling on, celebrated detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to solve the case.

-From IMDB

I honestly had no idea what to expect from this movie- I saw it announced ages ago because I’m following Leslie Odom Jr. on Facebook and it looked like it had potential. But the only two other things I can think of that I’ve seen that are connected to Kenneth Branagh (Cinderella and Much Ado About Nothing) I’ve had mixed feelings about.

So I went into this with reservations, wanting to be excited but also really terrified that I was going to end up hating it.

In the end it wasn’t as good as I wanted to hope but a whole lot better than I was afraid it would be.

What I Liked:

Poirot’s Introduction: Until this movie I hadn’t met Hercule Poirot. I’d love to read the book this is based on now, as well as others featuring him, but before this he and I hadn’t had the pleasure of being introduced.

So you can imagine how important the opening of this movie was in making an impression on me. I am delighted to report it didn’t disappoint. We’re introduced to him and all of his intricacies so quickly and yet so masterfully. I felt like within minutes of meeting him I knew what I needed to know without it feeling forced or convoluted. Right from the moment the movie started it drew me in.

The Humor: This movie was funnier than I expected it to be. It still somehow managed to maintain the very serious air that you would expect from this sort of a mystery but the dialogue was just so snappy- it was sarcastic in places, witty in others, just so very stunning.

I didn’t expect to laugh but I did in all the right places. Every joke, every clever little line of dialogue was there for a reason and it helped enhance the mystery rather than detract from it. This was in no way a comedy but it had little moments of humor that made me laugh a lot more than I expected to and I appreciated that.

The Visuals: As I said, I’ve seen two other things Kenneth Branagh is connected to and so I expected at the very least that this movie would be visually stunning. And it was.

The scenery, the costumes, and color schemes were just out of this world. And the cinematography was amazing. This movie was gorgeous. Like drool-worthy, jaw-dropping, breathtakingly gorgeous. If for nothing else this movie is worth watching to see the art and beauty involved in the visuals.

The Cast: This movie has an all-star cast, which is something that can either make or break a movie. For this movie it worked. There were so many characters all of whom were played to perfection.

Leslie Odom Jr., for instance, I’ve only actually heard sing (thanks to his role in Hamilton, his Simply Christmas album, and the Nationwide Commercial). I’ve never seen him act before and it was a lot of fun to see him in this role.

I’ve never been the largest fan of the roles Josh Gad has been cast in but I liked his character a lot in this movie (as in, he was an interesting one, not necessarily a moral or likeable one). And it was nice to realize that I don’t actually dislike the actor, just the characters he has played in the past. Before now I hadn’t made the distinction.

Johnny Depp’s character, while not the greatest person in terms of morality, was well-written and more importantly, he wasn’t really weird, which I’ll admit I was nervous about since most roles I’ve seen him in have given me the creeps.

I liked getting to see Daisy Ridley in a role other than Rey, as Star Wars is all I know her from.

And, of course, Kenneth Branagh’s acting is beyond incredible. The man is a master, to say the least, and in this role he does not disappoint.

The Mystery (to an extent): What the movie did right it did so very right. Watching Poirot unravel the threads of the murder was engaging and the kind of mind puzzle I would expect from this sort of mystery. It moved slowly yet interestingly, the story becoming more and more complicated which only served to make it all the more intriguing.

I was on the edge of my seat watching it all unfold and when it was all unveiled I felt a little silly for not having figured it out myself. But it made sense.

What I Didn’t Like:

The Mystery (to an extent): That is, it all made sense for the most part.

Not everything made sense. Until the very end when it was all revealed this movie had a solid 5 stars. No question. I was in love with it, hanging on every word, every action, every small detail. But then it didn’t make sense.

I don’t want to go into detail to keep this spoiler free, but I feel like I would be amiss in not saying it disappointed me. If you’re interested in my reasons or would like to discuss it, feel free to contact me as I would be happy to share my thoughts on the matter.

The Ending: Because of the points that didn’t make senses to me, I felt like other things that happened as a result of that also didn’t make sense. And so while I was so deeply in love for a good portion of the movie, the ending left me feeling a little empty and confused. Again, I’m trying to remain spoiler free here but if you wish to discuss it, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

The Body: I know, I know. It’s a murder mystery, of course there’s a body! But I didn’t want to see it and I felt like it was on screen a tad too long. Long enough for me to be initially horrified and then stare at it until I realized it really wasn’t all that bad. But then I remembered I was staring at what was supposed to be a dead body and got horrified all over again.

Maybe I’m just squeamish but I didn’t like it.

The Character’s Introductions: As I said, there were a lot of characters in this movie. And great lengths were taken to make sure we were introduced to each and every one of them.

Unfortunately since there were so many and their introductions took place in a crowded train station, I felt a little lost as each one was introduced. In fact, for a long time I thought Johnny Depp’s character and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo’s were one and the same.

It wasn’t until the murder had taken place and Poirot was unraveling the different characters and their stories that I really started to get a feel for who was who. So don’t get discouraged if you see it and you can’t keep the characters straight. It’ll all make sense eventually.

Overview:

Overall, I enjoyed this movie. It was beautiful, it was clever, it was well cast and well acted. It had me on the edge of my seat for the whole thing, eyes wide and eager to not miss even a single second.

Unfortunately the ending didn’t quite sit right with me and left me feeling empty and confused. I didn’t want to take stars off for it but I can’t shake the feeling that it was wrong and that maybe it should have played out just a little differently.

That said, I’m not sorry I saw it and I would gladly see it again. I’m also more than ready to read the book and delve deeper into the world of Hercule Poirot. I'm excited to see what Agatha Christie has to offer me.

I hope to see you all on Monday for a little mid-novel pep talk! And next Friday I’ll be back for another review.

Until the next time we meet, don’t forget to live happily ever after <3

~Jennifer Sauer, the Ivory Palace Princess

P.S. Let’s Chat! How familiar are you with Agatha Christie’s detective? Have you see this movie or are you planning to?