A good reboot with a fine cast and smart script.. worth a ticket... on the right tracks all the way through.. good performance from Kenneth Branagh

A thrilling adventure that steams ahead, despite a few faults on the line.

Having not seen any of the previous adaptations or read the original novel, I was pleasantly surprised by this. The characters are all presented rather well, there are some outstanding bits of cinematography and the music is great in building tension throughout.

However, there are a few pacing issues within the 2nd act which tends to feel a little repetitive as all the characters are outlined and Kenneth Branagh does put himself at the centre of the film. This ultimately leads to some weak storytelling in terms of the overall twist and reveals towards the end but creates a great murder-mystery overall.

Agatha Christie, a truly magnificent moustache and a mystery to be solved. Add to that a spectacular cast, fine acting and gorgeous scenery. I have to say that my anticipation of this movie was greater than it's realization, but I still give it a 7 (good) out of 10. Kenneth Branagh said all he did was assemble a highly talented cast and then just sat back and watched the magic. Although I believe he was underselling his worth to the production, I'm sure just watching people steeped in their craft bring the goods was a privilege. Olivia Coleman said to just be able to sit and hold a dog while watching Dame Judy perform was brilliant. [Crime, Mystery, Drama, Remake]

Advancements in technology alone never justify remaking a classic. If you're not going to make it better, make it differently. If you're not going to make it differently, don't remake it.

Sadly nowhere nearly as good as it should have been. The film had a fantastic cast (and Johnny Depp too), a great director at the helm, and wonderful source material, but somehow it managed to almost completely fall flat. Odd things from the original story were changed apparently just for the sake of it, I could see no other reason for the changes. Although there were some good performances, there was nothing that stood out, which, as I said, with a cast like that, seems rather odd. Somewhat of a wasted opportunity really.

An exquisite cast delivering lackluster performances (except for [spoiler]Michelle Pfeiffer at the end of the movie[/spoiler]). A wasted opportunity to make an old classic shine again.

What made the book so great was that all the clues were given to you so you could take your time and try to solve it. However, this style won't work for a two hour long movie so the right call was made to turn the focus away from all the extremely complex clues and towards the characters and their back stories. The filmmakers didn't fully commit to this however, so what you're left with is an unfocused, unoriginal and badly paced mess which fails to capture any of the charm of the earlier movie or the book.

Notable Parts
- The performances of Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench and Daisy Ridley
- The beautiful period costumes and sets
- Impressive and creative cinematography, even if it is a bit unnecessary at times

Worst Parts
- The adaptation work, although it is evident they tried and had good ideas
- Unnecessary action that makes badly paced
- The dead squirrel that was glued to Branagh's face
- Terrible cgi

While nothing special, its at least enjoyable, although I would never recommend it or watch it again.

They should have called it: Cluedo the movie!

I felt bad enough for paying to see a movie that featured Depp, and surely my wickedness in supporting a women abuser was punished - I hated this. This OCD, strangely emotional version of Poirot looked great but tasted bitter. Strange details from the original story were changed, and I just cannot understand why, as the original was extremely concise and clever as it was, even if it did not feature action scenes where people got shot and chased. A lot of the character's background was cut, which took away from that great "assembling the puzzle" feel readers get from Agatha Christie. It just felt so... superficial. I did not get into any of the characters as I did in the novel. The interviews were short, and gave me no emotional connection to them and their past. The only positive thing is that everything was very pretty. Unfortunately, pretty was not I wanted.

Also, I am very upset that [spoiler]they made Helena to join in the stabbing. There was meaning in her abstinence from it.[/spoiler]

For a film with a cast like this, what’s remarkable about it is how little each of the suspects stand out. Each gets their moment with Branagh’s Poirot and as the film progresses and the connections to the backstory become evident, the denouement and final reveal take on much less importance. It is almost something of an anticlimax when the solution is revealed. As a murder mystery then, the film doesn’t really work very well and interest in the central story gradually fades. It is fortunate then that Branagh’s take on Poirot is the main point of interest and one that keeps the film afloat throughout. Branagh has a lot of fun with Poirot but also provides the character with the only meaningful development in the film as his philosophy on what is right and what is wrong is challenged. Perhaps Branagh felt that the book and mystery are well known and therefore he needed to take a different approach, but there are plenty, including myself, who did not know and can’t help feel a little shortchanged in how Branagh approaches one of Christie’s most famous plots. Enjoyable enough but flawed in its execution.