03-04-2018, 01:37 PM
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (2017)
Confession: I have never read an Agatha Christie mystery. Though I have watched multiple adaptations both on film and television over the years and enjoyed many of them.
And this latest one is no exception. I know this film received mixed reviews and after seeing it, I am not certain why other than maybe audiences were not in the mood for a retro-style locked room mystery?
Kenneth Branagh brings a fresh and enjoyable interpretation of Poirot, that is underlaced with a melancholy of past loss.
As a director, Branagh knows this source material and the age it was created in and pays loving homage to it while giving it just the proper enough modern stylings for 21st Century audiences. Though I must admit, the CGI, while pretty, still is obvious CGI, and slightly detracts from the "reality" of the piece.
The true strength of the movie, which elevates it and truly suprised (and moved me), is Branagh never loses sight of the horrific tragedy than spurs the murder and the cost on the souls of those it affected. The score is brilliant in this regard, and brings a sobering sadness to the last act.
An excellent new version of a classic tale, and I look forward to Branagh's next work, Murder on the Nile with great excited anticipation.
Confession: I have never read an Agatha Christie mystery. Though I have watched multiple adaptations both on film and television over the years and enjoyed many of them.
And this latest one is no exception. I know this film received mixed reviews and after seeing it, I am not certain why other than maybe audiences were not in the mood for a retro-style locked room mystery?
Kenneth Branagh brings a fresh and enjoyable interpretation of Poirot, that is underlaced with a melancholy of past loss.
As a director, Branagh knows this source material and the age it was created in and pays loving homage to it while giving it just the proper enough modern stylings for 21st Century audiences. Though I must admit, the CGI, while pretty, still is obvious CGI, and slightly detracts from the "reality" of the piece.
The true strength of the movie, which elevates it and truly suprised (and moved me), is Branagh never loses sight of the horrific tragedy than spurs the murder and the cost on the souls of those it affected. The score is brilliant in this regard, and brings a sobering sadness to the last act.
An excellent new version of a classic tale, and I look forward to Branagh's next work, Murder on the Nile with great excited anticipation.
"... let's go exploring!" -- CALVIN.