Murder on the Orient Express Review

Soundtrack

A

Yeah, the soundtrack was pretty good. It’s not the star of this movie, but it blended well with the tone and events. Some scenes have more of a symphonic flow, while some have more of a personal touch with a piano. It’s all very pleasant to hear.

Mystery

A+

Oh boy, this was an odd one. This movie takes you down a lot of different roads, such as “Well That Was Fast Street”, “That’s a Kind of Boring Reveal Drive”, “Another Reveal But Honestly Not That Shocking Boulevard”, and “Wait What Now Avenue”. This movie leaves me feeling confused, but not about what happened, more so about what I felt. I suppose that was its purpose.

Plot

A+

Yes! A hundred times yes, this is was a great plot. That is to only be expected as the film is based on Agatha Christie’s book. Is there anyone out there that doesn’t like Clue? Anyone that doesn’t like a good old detective mystery? If you don’t, well then, don’t see the movie. But if you’re someone who likes to actually have fun, you’ll have it here.

Characters

B+

This movie did the best it could to flesh out each character. Since it is imperative to the plot that we don’t know much about them until the end, no character really stood out, other than the star, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh). Branagh did a fantastic job emulating his character. All the actors were great choices, though. It was a good choice to have a relatively A list cast. Even though we don’t know much about the people on the train, we’re knowledgeable as to who they are as actors so there’s a sense familiarity, which adds on some degree of empathy towards them. Something that is a tiny bit of a downside is some of the extras in the beginning. Extras are generally supposed to blend in, and that was something this movie had trouble with.

Overall

A-

This was a good, solid movie. It wasn’t The Best Movie Of 2017©, but it was enjoyable. The thing that stuck with me the most, other than the ending, was the cinematography. The lighting, the coloring, the staging, and camera angle were all gorgeous. There’s a scene where a known-to-be-promiscuous woman is walking down the hall and a man catches her attention. The light is shone solely on his face, and you also find yourself being drawn to him. The light, however, is displayed all around the woman, displaying the man’s disinterest. When the mystery kicks up, the camera angle often switches to a bird’s eye view, reminding the audience that we are out of control in this situation and so is Poirot. Shots through mirrors are littered through the movie, often displaying the characters with two faces. This tells the audience that there is another side to each and every person that they are not yet privy to. At one point the cast is all sat down along a table, set like “The Last Supper”. This couldn’t have been filmed more graciously. If you like mysteries, three-layered wig mustaches, and perfectly measured eggs, I would definitely check this movie out.