Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Paula Hawkins, “Girl on the Train” tells the story of the broken life of Rachel Watson. She turns to alcoholism and train-rides-to-nowhere after her husband, Tom, leaves her for another woman named Anna. Rachel watches families in the houses that the train passes and imagines the details of their lives, with a particular attachment to Megan Hipwell and her husband, Scott.

When Megan goes missing, Rachel was supposedly the last to see her alive. Fingers are pointed and blame is placed, and Rachel attempts to discover the truth and recover her memories from the night Megan disappeared.

Directing 1/5

When trailers for “Girl on the Train” were released, there were discussions about how closely it resembled that of David Fincher’s 2014 thriller “Gone Girl.” There were those that thought it would be just as good as Fincher’s movie, and others who thought it would turn out to be a pale imitation.

Unfortunately, the latter held true. If the point of the movie was to be another version of “Gone Girl,” then director Tate Taylor and screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson did an excellent job.

“Girl on the Train” comes off as very uninspired and muddled. Using choppy and confusing flashback sequences, the movie tries to explain the past to set up big reveals, but everything moves so slow.

It is the opposite of emotionally engaging by the time the reveal comes around. It’s either too late to care about it, or it’s something unsurprising.

The movie certainly does take a while to get out of the station, with Megan’s disappearance not happening till a good third of the movie is already over. The two hour runtime feels much longer than it actually is.

Writing 1/5

The first third of the movie is split into character introductions of the three main women,;Rachel, Anna and Megan. While we spend most time with Rachel and see the majority of the movie through her point of view, ultimately her character and others never become likeable or lifelike. While Megan’s husband does seem to sincerely care about his wife’s disappearance, the sentiment comes too late.  The audience has already seen evidence of him being abusive and despicable, making it hard to empathize with him.

Yes, it can be fun to watch dark, depressing characters coping with their circumstances. But when the characters are as thin and irredeemable as the ones in “Girl on the Train,” it makes for very dreary storytelling.

Acting 4/5

While everything else in “Girl on the Train” is dower and droll, the acting was the best part of it. Unfortunately, great acting alone doesn’t make a great movie.

Leading the cast is Emily Blunt as Rachel Watson. While inebriated more often than not, Blunt does a great job with adding variety to Rachel’s portrayal, so as to not make her character one monotonous manic depressive.

Haley Bennet plays the elusive Megan, alongside her husband Scott, played by Luke Evans. Evans stands out the most of the two, and is one of the better performances of the film. We see more emotional investment from him, as opposed to Megan’s coyness and almost nihilistic mindset.

Tom and Anna are played by Justin Theroux and Rebecca Ferguson, respectively.

Overall:

“Girl on the Train” is a muddled, poorly inspired piece trying too hard to reach higher than it can grasp. It is a sluggishly paced, not-so-tense thriller that bores rather than excites. The acting is the only saving grace of the film, but that doesn’t make it recommendable.

Save your ticket, and let this train pass you by.