SNOWPIERCER (9 out of 10) Directed by Joon-ho Bong; written by Joon-ho Bong and Kelly Masterson; based on the graphic novel, “Le Transperceneige“ by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette; starring Chris Evans, Kang-ho Song, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, and John Hurt; rated R for violence, language and drug use; on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD: 126 minutes.
We were blessed with a great summer movie season that included such awesome films as “Days of Future Past”, “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (it was a tentpole, so I’m counting it). “Edge of Tomorrow” was also a great film that more people should have seen but didn’t, but “Snowpiercer” stands out as the sleeper hit that almost no one got around to watching in theaters. This could be due to the fact that it had pretty horrible (read: ZERO) marketing and that it only had a limited release, which is a shame because it could have been one of the biggest hits of the year. It is definitely one of my favorites, and would probably have taken the top spot had it not been for its contrived ending that knocked it down a few pegs.
In mankind’s attempt to finally quash the threat of global warming, the governments of the world have joined together to disperse a cooling chemical, CW-7, in the atmosphere that succeeds just a little too well, ushering in a new ice age, causing the death of nearly every man, woman and child, The remaining survivors band together on the Snowpiercer, a train that travels a planet-spanning track and protects those within from the deadly elements outside. The rich and powerful have clustered together to live a life of luxury in the front cars of the train while the poor are forced to live in squalor in the back. A rebellion is started by Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) and his second-in-command, Edgar (Jamie Bell), in an attempt to force their way to the front of the train and overthrow their corrupt masters who have made their lives a living hell. They quickly capture the ruthless Mason (Tilda Swinton) and force her to help in their endeavors, but their prospects of success rapidly diminish as they lose more fighters the closer they get to the engine that powers the train. Curtis eventually faces the mythical Wilford who created Snowpiercer and is given an impossible choice that could destroy everything he has fought so hard to accomplish.
It’s hard to express just how great this movie is, as nearly everything fits together so perfectly that it’s nearly flawless in its presentation. We’ve seen dystopian futures countless times, but the way it is presented here is both horrific and endlessly fascinating. What’s unique is that there is absolutely no escape from the predicament the characters are stuck in. Sure Katniss probably would have been found and killed had she escaped and ran from her district in “The Hunger Games”, but there was always that chance she could survive. Not here. As proven very clearly in the opening minutes of the movie, humans can not survive the outside elements so the thought of escape is immediately quashed. The grimy and horrible conditions of squalor are perfectly represented here via set design and costumes, and it doesn’t take much suspension of disbelief to buy in to the fact that these people were born and grew up in this hellhole.
As the rebellion makes its way forward into the nicer parts of the train, though, each cabin car is its own, unique world in which they discover animals, fish and even a school where children are brainwashed into hero-worship of Wilford who is not only their savior, but also lord and god.
Each set piece is important and tells a story, which makes the Snowpiercer itself almost as important a character as the people who reside within.
Of course, even the best setting will fall flat if the actors aren’t up to the challenge presented to them, but everyone succeeds here magnificently. Chris Evans has grown and matured as an actor and easily holds his own against seasoned vets like John Hurt and Tilda Swinton. If anyone ever worried that Evans couldn’t carry a film and “Winter Soldier” didn’t convince, then this is the movie that will make you a believer. Tilda Swinton chews up her scenes as the main bad guy, and Jamie Bell has definitely grown up into a mature actor who I didn’t even recognize at first as compared to his early days in “Billy Elliot” and other movies. A surprise appearance by an actor in a role I won’t spoil due to its relevance to the plot had nearly the same impact as Kevin Spacey in “Se7en.”
My only problem takes place in the last fifteen minutes or so when it feels the need to stop and casually spoon-feed exposition to the audience. Not only does this totally break the tempo and theme, it also almost completely steals a scene from a movie that came out over a decade ago that has been endlessly parodied and made fun of since. It was annoying and derivative, and made it nearly impossible to take seriously. To be fair, it ends on a high note, but the writers should have found a better way to “explain” everything that was going on.
Aside from that, though, this is a must-see film that I can’t recommend enough. It has all the trappings of a great summer film (action, special effects, great storytelling), and it’s a shame that so few people had the chance to see it while it was in theaters. Thankfully, it’s out on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD now, and you can pick it up for pretty cheap. So if you haven’t experienced it yet, now is the time to do so.
Seriously, quit reading this and go buy it. You’re missing out on one of the best movies of the year!