MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS

Movie Review #8357 MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS.
 
Latest iteration of Agatha Christie's eternal whodunnit, set on the Istanbul-to-Paris choo-choo and featuring Kenneth Branagh as his snoopship, Hercules Poirot.
 
A pretty stellar cast joins Branagh with Johnny Depp, Judi Dench, Penelope Cruz, Derek Jacobi, Willem Dafoe and Michelle Pfeiffer all taking lead roles and the CGI landscapes are quite spectacular including the ultimate avalanche that stops said choo-choo literally in its tracks.
 
Story ducks and dives about with aplomb emphasising the customary red herrings and plenty of curioser and curioser moments abound. Branagh's Poirot is a little more steely than Peter Ustinov's obese bumbler or David Suchet's snail-eater however it's still the same old Colonel Mustard in the conservatory with the lead pipe affair.
 
If you're not familiar with the story or previous movie/TV attempts then this will be cool movie but there's not enough reinvention for it to be anything more than an OK rehash. The twist at the end isn't really the surprise expected and could have been better anticipated given that most moviegoers will know the story and its conclusion.
 
Final scene sets up Poirot to head for Egypt and Death on the Nile as the next in the series reboot.
 
Hope it's better than this. 6.5/10