Murder on the Orient Express

Got tickets to the local premiere screening of Murder on the Orient Express at the MBO in Starling, thanks to Nuffnang. It was a bit confusing trying to find the counter because a lot of other media companies were doing the same (you can't miss BFM's Uma at their counter), either for their staff and/or contest winners. 

I've read Agatha Christie's oeuvre in my teens (school library had quite the collection) but mostly the Poirot stuff. Haven't re-read them since (probably 20 years now? Am not sure how reading them as an adult would be any different) and have no intention of buying copies to do so. I've also read some of the other non-Poirot ones like And Then There Were None, but I digress.  

I'm going into spoiler territory now, so if you had plans to watch this but have never read the book (which has been out for almost a century now, you should have), come back when you have. 

• Did they really shoot at the Wailing Wall? If they didn't, where then?
• If you thought Suchet's Poirot 'tache was ridiculous, Branagh's 'tache just made me giggle. As if it wasn't enough that Branagh's directing, but starring as Poirot as well... 
• Of course there were a couple times where he needed to correct people on the pronunciation of his name. 
• What's with the overhead camera angle? I suppose it's easier to set up an overhead camera in the small space with all the actors in there.
• I wonder how much did Johnny Depp get for his screen time (which wasn't a lot, TBH, even in the flashbacks)....?
• I don't know how old Daisy Ridley's character is supposed to be, but she doesn't look old enough to be the Countess's governess...? 
• Where can I get me one of them tongkat?

Dunno whether to laugh or cry when I overheard one teen say to his family about the movie so "budget" cos it was set mostly on the train... I doubt it, going by the scenery and terrain the train was travelling through (really pretty and really wintry but also not anywhere I would want to explore myself, so yay for aerial camerawork).

For the modern audience, the denouement might seem a little underwhelming (the friend I dragged to see this [who doesn't read Agatha Christie] thought the ending was absurd), but again, THE BOOK HAS BEEN AROUND FOR ALMOST A CENTURY.

I thought it was fine and has most of the book's major points. If you've read the book and have some time to kill, go watch it. Just don't go with people who aren't into Agatha Christie and would not have watched this anyway. 

They've set up the ending in that if it does well, we'll see Death on the Nile next... which has since been greenlit. So we'll be seeing more of Branagh and his ridonk 'tache.