The first trailer for Kenneth Branagh's Murder On The Orient Express has arrived, and it's...well, it looks about as sumptuous, well-cast and impeccably-staged as one might expect from a Branagh production, but it's also overflowing with weird little details.
Here. Watch this and see what you think.
See what I mean? That weird song choice at the end, the dramatic reveal of Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot (as if the trailer were revealing The Rock playing Superman), the on-screen graphics breaking down the roles of the various passengers (accompanied by a first-person "Poirot Vision" shot), Michelle Pfeiffer's less-than-excellent line delivery, Josh Gad looking almost exactly like Jon Polito in The Man Who Wasn't There, the fact that Johnny Depp appears onscreen and yet is not shown wearing a silly hat...it's just a lot to take in, all at once.
Anyway, here's the official plot synopsis, in case you're unfamiliar with this property:
"A lavish trip through Europe quickly unfolds into a race against time to solve a murder aboard a train. Everyone’s a suspect as Detective Hercule Poirot sifts through 13 strangers to find the killer before another person ends up dead."
Murder On The Orient Express arrives on November 10th. Given the pedigree involved, we're giving it the benefit of the doubt, but...yeah, man. Weird first trailer.