Snowpiercer Film Review

If you have never seen a film by Bong Joon-ho then you are missing out on one of the most unique voices out in the world of cinema today. My first taste of his work came in the form of The Host which completely caught me by surprise for being original, darkly funny, and having social commentary all while being a great monster film! The film was so good that I put Bong Joon-ho on my watch list and started going through his filmography. Then we come to present day where it feels like I have been waiting forever to finally see his newest film Snowpiercer. It has been tough waiting after hearing so much about the film, the reviews and then the controversy over the Weinstein's trying to re-edit the film, but luckily the time had finally come where this film was in theaters and we go to see the edit that Bong Joon-ho wanted to release. What also makes Snowpiercer exciting is that this is Bong Joon-ho's first English speaking film and first big budget feature. While more money and a bigger release might seem like a good thing, that isn't always an equation for success. Sometimes when a filmmaker tries to cross over to bigger films, they lose what made them such great filmmakers in the first place. Just look at what happened with German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and 2010's The Tourist. So I was hopeful for two things to come out of Snowpiercer, that Bong Joon-ho would be able to keep his voice and style that made his previous films memorable and fascinating and also that we could see another wonderful original film in a summer filled with sequels and rebranded old known products. Read on to see my thoughts on Snowpiercer

The year is 2014 where an experiment to end global warming causes a new ice age across the Earth, freezing everything insight to deadly below freezing temperatures. Fast forward 17 years and the last known humans alive left on the planet Earth are left to survive on the Snowpiercer, a 20 car train that runs on a self sustaining engine that travels around the world all year round. At the back of the train lives the lower class, where the leaders and high class of the train have stuffed most of the population in cramped living conditions. The lower class survives on protein blocks and nothing else but it seems that the back of the train has had enough. Led by Curtis (Chris Evans), a protege of Gilliam (John Hurt), the lower class rises up and starts to slowly head their way up the train hoping to reach the engine room and take the upper hand. As the upper class fights back, Curtis and the rest of the back of the train must fight their way forward before their are forced to the back of the train or even worse killed.

Well it is certainly safe to say that Bong Joon-ho has a long and promising career ahead of him. Not only has he been able to make great stories with incredible characters in Korea, but has shown that he can cross over into English speaking blockbusters with great style, story, and achievement that not everyone can accomplish.With Snowpiercer we have one of the most original stories I have seen on film in a long time and does an incredible job at world building. Rarely do we see films today that build a world like Snowpiercer does, making us dive into the story and believe the world that it takes us too. More than that, it makes an interesting world where I want to learn more about it as the film moves on. The film grabs your attention and then makes you yearn for more.

The visuals are intense, tight, and stunning in my opinion and reminded me a lot like Das Boot. While Das Boot obviously was in much tighter quarters, I was pleasantly surprised and to see the different angles, framing, and camera movement that Bong Joon-ho and his cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo was able to accomplish in the train. They were also able to accomplish a pretty impressive long take near the end of the first act of the film and it was used flawlessly to ramp up the pacing and tension of the scene. It was one of the few times that I felt a long take was perfectly placed seamlessly without even calling attention to itself.

Even though this was based on a graphic novel, it still felt new and like a breath of fresh air in a summer full of unoriginal content. With movies like this and Edge of Tomorrow I hope that studios will continue to take risks with original content and new stories. Thanks to the fresh feeling of the film, I was so curious to learn just what was in each car of the train, what Curtis and his team was going to find next, what would happen to them, and more! Each car of the train feels like its own unique world and deepens the believability of the story. The characters were extremely believable and fit the world they were created in. Not only that, but none of them were your perfect poster boy. Everyone had real issues and the film does a great job making you cheer on the lower class. I would also love to give praise to Octavia Spencer whose role as a mother fighting to find her son, while cliche, was brilliant and even brought me to some tears during the third act. Chris Evans turns in a solid performance and is really allowed to shine in the third where he breathes some life into his character.

The only big disappointment of the film comes from the last act and the revelation of the train's leader and how the train is able to be self reliant. The movie doesn't necessarily a bad job but compared to the rest of the film's brilliance it feels like a let down. The main villain feels cliche and unoriginal and doesn't really have a solid purpose or reasoning behind his madness. Also it is great to see Song Kang-ho working again with Bong Joon-ho, his talented feels a little underutilized. Still he makes the most of his screen time and turns in a solid performance but ultimately one that left me wanting more.

Overall Snowpiercer is a fresh, brilliant, and incredible film that definitely stands at the top of my list of 2014 films so far. The visuals are fascinating and story rich with great characters and plot. The movie ultimately left me wanting for more while also leaving me satisfied. Its hard not to love the world that Snowpiercer inhabits and learning about the characters we are rooting for. On a side note, this film totally proves that a good Bioshock video game could be made. I give my highest recommendations to see Snowpiercer while you can for its originality and creating a wonderful cinematic experience.

4.5/5