History YMMV / MurderOnTheOrientExpress2017

** Though nobody doubts Creator/KennethBranagh's abilities as an actor, his turn as Poirot is a whole new level, disappearing seamlessly into the character.

* RetroactiveRecognition: Phil Dunster, who plays the late Colonel Armstrong, is now best known as Jamie Tartt on [[Series/TedLasso Ted Lasso]].

* SignatureScene: The rest of the film plays out without too much deviation from the source or even parodies. Then comes the summation, complete with Branagh and Pfiffer pulling off some of the most dramatic and heart-wrenching performances of the whole film. Even if some of the other parts seem a little cliche, that scene tends to be fondly remembered and to some is enough to make the remake worth it.

** A fair amount of of the effects weren't CGI: A full-scale model of the train was built, and was pushed along a track at the studio for shots of the train leaving Istanbul and arriving at Brod. The train crash sight was also just a single massive outdoor set. Perhaps the best effect was simulating the train journey. The carriages are sets in studio, mounted on hydraulic pistons to simulate bumps and bounces, but real footage was taken of a train ride through New Zealand. Rather than just GreenScreen the carriage windows to put the scenery in by computer, the footage was projected on a large bank of [=LED=] screens running along the full length of the set, so the scenery was composited in camera. It was so effective that, when footage of this technique was shown to studio managers alongside footage taken aboard a real train, ''they couldn't tell the difference''.

* AwardSnub: Haris Zambarloukos's cinematography was somehow overlooked for an UsefulNotes/AcademyAward nomination.

** The inevitable reaction over Poirot's large mustache, which is true to the text but differs radically from the PopCultureOsmosis tradition of adaptations giving Poirot a small, neat mustache to reflect his personality, a look that's considered TruerToTheText.

** Giving Poirot a [[TheLostLenore Lost Lenore]]; in the books Poirot is famously celibate, with the possible exception of Countess Vera Rossakoff.
** According to Creator/KennethBranagh, he wanted to depict a Poirot who wasn't at the final third of his career but still had a ways to go before he was the legendary Poirot (probably similar to Film/JamesBond in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006''). It's not very evident here since half the characters seem to have heard of him. However, they know of him as a famous ''police detective'', and he has to inform them he left the force and is now a P.I.

** For anyone who's acrophobic, it's unnerving to see the train stopped atop a bridge, as though begging to fall.

** [[spoiler:The flashback when the conspirators carry out the murder. In other adaptations Cassetti has been drugged into unconsciousness, but here he's clearly awake and aware, though too doped up to be able to fight off [=MacQueen=], who's holding him down so the others can stab him.]]
* ParanoiaFuel: You're traveling on a train that gets stuck in a snowbank and somebody's murdered meaning a fellow passenger could be the murderer. This causes the passengers to turn against one another and accuse each other of committing the crime -- something that didn't happen in the original novel [[spoiler: but does make sense for people putting on an act]].

** This isn't the first time Creator/DerekJacobi has been in a work based off of one of Christie's books. He played the victim in ''Literature/TheMurderAtTheVicarage'' episode of ''Series/{{Marple}}'', and now he's playing the victim's butler.

** Leslie Odom Jr. had played [[Theatre/{{Hamilton}} "a terrible shot"]] guilty of murdering a man who wronged him before. This time, he's "a [doctor] with a marksman's ability".

** For those who [[TomHanksSyndrome haven't been paying attention]], this is also the breakout for Creator/JoshGad and his impressive dramatic talents. Gad is quite the buffoon at the start, but the second half of the film really shows off his character's torment.

* CatharsisFactor: [[spoiler:For those who have felt betrayed by Johnny Depp as a result of the Australian dog grooming incident which ultimately mushroomed into severe domestic issues.]]

** [[https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/000253779hr.jpg?w=669 The first promotional photos raised some eyebrows]] due to Branagh's Poirot having an enormous walrus mustache that extends onto his cheeks. Branagh defended this decision by pointing out that Poirot plays up being a FunnyForeigner to get people to underestimate him. Additionally, Poirot is described as having a big mustache, which other adaptations have downplayed, possibly making this adaptation TruerToTheText.
** This seems to be the fans' general reaction to the use of Music/ImagineDragons' "Believer" as the [[SoundtrackDissonance song choice]] for the first trailer. It doesn't help that it had recently been featured over the closing montage in the Season 1 finale of ''Series/{{Riverdale}}''... and the Super Bowl ad for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. This song is getting ''a lot'' of airplay.

** At the SummationGathering, the first shot we see of all the suspects at the table for some reason looks nearly exactly like ''The Last Supper''.

** For those who [[TomHanksSyndrome haven't been paying attention]], this is also the breakout for Josh Gad and his impressive dramatic talents. Gad is quite the buffoon at the start, but the second half of the film really shows off his character's torment.

** According to Creator/KennethBranagh, he wanted to depict a Poirot who wasn't at the final third of his career but still had a ways to go before he was the legendary Poirot (probably similar to Film/JamesBond in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006''.). It's not very evident here since half the characters seem to have heard of him. However, they know of him as a famous ''police detective'', and he has to inform them he left the force and is now a P.I.

** This isn't the first time Creator/DerekJacobi has been in a work based off of one of Christie's books. He played the victim in the ''Murder at the Vicarage'' episode of ''Series/{{Marple}}'', and now he's playing the victim's butler.

** Though nobody doubts Branagh's abilities as an actor, his turn as Poirot is a whole new level, disappearing seamlessly into the character.

** This isn't the first time Derek Jacobi has been in a work based off of one of Christie's books. He played the victim in the ''Murder at the Vicarage'' episode of ''Series/{{Marple}}'', and now he's playing the victim's butler.

** According to Kenneth Branagh, he wanted to depict a Poirot who wasn't at the final third of his career but still had a ways to go before he was the legendary Poirot (probably similar to Film/JamesBond in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006''.). It's not very evident here since half the characters seem to have heard of him. However, they know of him as a famous ''police detective'', and he has to inform them he left the force and is now a P.I.

** [[https://ewedit.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/000253779hr.jpg?w=669 The first promotional photos raised some eyebrows]] due to Branagh's Poirot looking radically different from Christie's description. Instead of a nice neat black mustache, this Poirot has a gray walrus type mustache and soul patch on his chin. This is only made worse in the film itself, where the 'stache is so huge it stretches back over his cheeks and looks like the ends have been glued to his cheekbones. Branagh defended this decision by pointing out that Poirot plays up being a FunnyForeigner to get people to underestimate him. Additionally, Poirot is described as having a big moustache, which other adaptations have downplayed, possibly making this adaptation TruerToTheText. (The more striking difference, a ''blond'', tall, fit Poirot was hidden by the mustache, making it FridgeBrilliance ''in real life''.)

* NarmCharm:
** Poirot's mustache (and mustache sleep guard) are as ridiculous as they are charming.

** The inevitable reaction from Christie purists over Branagh's decision to radically change Poirot's iconic look, especially the moustache. Although the moustache at least may actually be TruerToTheText; Christie describes Poirot as having a large moustache, and a notable criticism she had of Albert Finney's depiction of Poirot in the 1974 adaptation was that his 'tasche was too small.[[note]]For what it's worth, she passed away long before Peter Ustinov and Creator/DavidSuchet took over the role, but Ustinov's version had a similar moustache to Finney, and Suchet's was even smaller.[[/note]] Poirot's iconic fussy little moustache may be in many ways just as much an example of PopCultureOsmosis as Literature/SherlockHolmes wearing a deerstalker everywhere.
** When the second trailer revealed that the movie would contain a fight scene Christie fans were decidedly less than thrilled, though it was far from the AdrenalineTime slugfests that were inserted into the Robert Downey Jr Sherlock movies. Within the film itself, there are only a few fight scenes, but they aren’t well integrated into the plot and clash with the largely NonActionGuy interpretation of Poirot.

* HeReallyCanAct:

* AwardSnub: Haris Zambarloukos's cinematography was somehow overlooked for an AcademyAward nomination.

** The inevitable reaction from Christie purists over Branagh's decision to radically change Poirot's iconic look, especially the moustache. Although the moustache at least may actually be TruerToTheText; Christie describes Poirot as having a large moustache, and a notable criticism she had of Albert Finney's depiction of Poirot in the 1974 adaptation was that his 'tasche was too small.[[note]]For what it's worth, she passed away long before Peter Ustinov and David Suchet took over the role, but Ustinov's version had a similar moustache to Finney, and Suchet's was even smaller.[[/note]] Poirot's iconic fussy little moustache may be in many ways just as much an example of PopCultureOsmosis as Literature/SherlockHolmes wearing a deerstalker everywhere.

** According to Kenneth Branagh, he wanted to depict a Poirot who wasn't at the final third of his career but still had a ways to go before he was the legendary Poirot (probably similar to Film/JamesBond in ''Film/CasinoRoyale2006''.). It's not very evident here since half the characters seem to have heard of him.

** The discovery of the murder (that is, not just the murder scene itself where it's useful, but just the guys standing in the hallway talking about it) is filmed entirely from the ceiling for pretty much no reason, feeling more like a first-time director shouting "Notice me!"
** The ridiculously dramatic music playing over the kid in the opening, especially since he's running at half speed which clashes with music that would normally be played over someone sprinting.

** The overhead shot of finding the murder is actually very useful for the audience, as it lets them take in the whole scene without having to continuously being exposed to a ton of jump cuts.
** That little kid running with the over dramatic music just adds to the comedy of that scene in general.
*** It can also be interpreted as meaning to throw off the audience into thinking that whatever the boy is delivering, it must be very important.

** Speaking of Jacobi, his character's surname being ''[[Series/DoctorWho Masterman]]'' is either this or a deliberate reference.