While the main purpose of a trailer is to tease scenes from an upcoming movie (some of which might not even make the final cut), it's also important to set the right tone. Music helps out a lot with this, and if the wrong song or composed piece is chosen, it can bring down the quality of the trailer. Such was the case with Murder on the Orient Express, which released its first trailer yesterday and had "Believer" from Imagine Dragons playing at the end. That was a jarring choice for a 1930s-set murder mystery, but it could have been a lot worse, as evidenced by this video of weirder songs that play at the end of the preview.
Put together by YouTuber TeamQuabs, this amusing Murder on the Orient Express video starts as Willem Dafoe's character, Gerhard Hardman, asks Hercule Poirot who he is. After Kenneth Branagh's mustachioed character establishes himself to both the train occupants and the audience, then we hear the substituted songs. While "Believer" is perhaps the most ill-fitting song for a trailer since Kanye West's "I Am a God" was blasted in the Assassin's Creed trailer, these other songs are significantly more inappropriate for Murder on the Orient Express' vibe. Kicking off with "X Gon' Give It To Ya" (I can't help but think of Deadpool now when I hear it), the video cycles across the musical spectrum each time Poirot introduces himself, from country tunes to heavy metal. "My Name Is" is the last song played, and it's definitely an instance of the best being saved for last. Because unlike the others, it cuts off Poirot before he can say his name, thus presenting himself as Slim Shady.
As the second Murder on the Orient Express theatrical movie and the most recent English-language adaptation since the TV series Agatha Christie's Poirot took a stab at it in 2010, Kenneth Branagh's re-telling of Agatha Christie's 1934 novel had to take extra care to stand out from what's come before. Judging by the trailer, he's accomplished that by retaining the classic elements of the story and infused it with some modern flair. Nevertheless, choosing an Imagine Dragons song to play at the end of the trailer wasn't the great decision, but hey, at least we got these hilarious alternatives as a result. And now I'm surprisingly curious to see what Kenneth Branagh lip-syncing Eminem on Lip Sync Battle would look like.
Like the original book, Kennth Branagh's Murder on the Orient Express will follow Hercule Poirot trying to solve a murder aboard a stalled train, requiring him to interview more than a dozen suspects. Along with Branagh and Willem Dafoe, the main cast includes Johnny Depp, Michell Pfeiffer, Judi Dench, Josh Gad, Penelope Cruz, Daisy Ridley, Derek Jacobi, Olivia Colman and Leslie Odom Jr.
Murder on the Orient Express will be released in theaters on November 10.
