Snowpiercer

Written by Jeremy JPOOL Colwill

Introduction:

From the director who brought you Memories of Murder (2003), The Host (2006) and Mother (2009) comes a film that takes you on the ride of your life.  South Korean director Bong Joon-ho brings us a film where the world’s living population resides on an ever-moving train.  It’s a dark, twisted and allegorical story and will leave you breathless in the end.

Summary:

The film Snowpiercer is about a post-apocalyptic world that was destroyed by a man-made ice age.

  In 2014, an experiment was conducted to counteract the “global warming” effects on the Earth.  The experiment failed and as a result, the Earth froze over and nearly killed all life.  The remaining survivors boarded a train called the “Snowpiercer” and set off on a globe-spanning track.  The inhabitants were divided into castes and for those without the financial means, found themselves in the tail-end of the train.  While the rich lived lavishly in the front for eighteen years, the poor struggled to survive in the back

.  Many rebellions were started during these years, but they were quickly squashed by the guards.  One man named Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) plans to start his own revolt and make his way to the front of the train.  His loyal friend Edgar (Jamie Bell) has been with Curtis through thick-and-thin and is prepared to do anything to assure this revolt succeeds.

  Along the way, we meet characters like Minister Mason (Tilda Swinton) whose sole-purpose is to delegate and discipline those who do not heed the word of the train’s creator.  We also meet a prisoner named Namgoong Minsu (Song Kang-ho) and his daughter Yona (Go Ah-sung).  Namgoong is a specialist who built the locks for each train section and Curtiss plans to use him to unlock each door.  Wilford is played by Ed Harris and because of his so-called crazy ideas, he might have saved the last remnants of the human race onboard the train.  Each train car holds its' own set of colorful characters, challenges and wonders.  

Will Curtis be able to survive the onslaught of guards and henchman along the way to the front?  Will the revolt be stopped once again and the lower class population reduced once more? 

Critique:

Snowpiercer is an incredible and must-see film.  Its art direction and storyline are top-notch and it’s filled with dark and twisting turns that definitely won’t leave you out in the cold.  Bong Joon-ho has once again demonstrated why he’s one of the best South Korean directors out there.  The cinematography by Hong Kyung-Pyo is breathtaking and it becomes even more visceral with the music by Marco Beltrami.  The story is an allegorical statement on caste systems and how much injustice is placed on the lower castes.  Chris Evans is such an underrated actor, but he shows his true acting chops in this role.  After seeing Tilda Swinton in “Only Lovers Left Alive”, we get to see a more torn-down character that you will love to hate.  Ed Harris’ character Wilfred only appears in the end, but he truly makes a statement in that short amount of time.   Octavia Spencer plays a mother who is desperate to get her son back.  John Hurt plays a character named Gilliam and he has an interesting story-arc.  The only problem I had with the film was the 125 minute run time, but I can forgive it for its engaging storyline and action-packed scenes.  I also felt the school/car scene seemed to drag on longer than it should, but I did enjoy the pay-off.  The ending is something still up for debate, but you might have to watch it a couple of times to fully contemplate the ending's message.   

Rating:

I’ve given this film high praise and in my eyes, it definitely deserves it.  With some incredible action scenes, great dialogue, memorable characters, and a powerful and engaging story, it has definitely made its way to the top of my favorite films of this year.

I give this film 5 out of 5 Stars.

Final thoughts:

Even though this film was originally released in 2013, it has finally made its way over to the States.   I was disappointed to hear that the film was only receiving a limited release in selected theaters.  This film deserves more fan-faire and I’m afraid that it will miss the mark when it comes around to award season.   You should definitely check this film out, if it's available in your area.