Unlike most blockbusters this summer, ‘Snowpiercer’ leaves the tension with its audiences throughout the movie and even after the end credits role. Given the wonderful blend of both a character- and a plot-driven script, Director/Screenwriter Joon-ho Bong gives us an independent action film set in a dystopian world in which the lower class literally fight their way to the top (front).
Curtis (Chris Evans), a 30-something man whose analytical thinking and strategic planning make him the leader of a revolution to gain a better life than the ones given to those in the back of a never-ending train after a failed global warming experiment left survivors trapped on a circumventing train divided by social class.
Screenwriters Joon-ho Bong and Kelly Masterson, while keeping us entertained, also manage to include character development with our main anti-hero Curtis. As the reluctant leader of the lowest class on their world, every new challenge within each car on the train brings his character a step closer to his own redemption. Evans, in a role very different from Captain America, excels in his performance as the conflicted lead having to constantly choose between saving his fellow revolutionaries and fending for himself while still maintaining a sound mind under the most dangerous circumstances as he progresses. In a rather emotional scene toward the end, Curtis finally admits his past vices and reveals just how far he’s come and what made him the way he was. Evans handles this beautifully in not only making us believe that his character has made a complete change, but also proving to us his great talent as an actor to invoke deep and heartfelt emotions within an instant despite the previous scenes consisting mostly intense action.
‘Snowpiercer’ has its share of interesting characters other than its lead (which only adds to our vulnerability as an audience). A technician hooked on industrial waste, Namgoong Minsoo (Kang-hoo Song) is someone whose familiarity with the train’s technology can access each car on the train and, ironically, stands as Curtis’s voice of reason/bodyguard. Minsoo’s daughter, Yona (Ah-Sung Ko), also hooked on this dystopian drug, offers her talents as a clairvoyant. Together, all three provide much of the emotional and intellectual moments of the film. Although not specifically made to be an intellectual film, ‘Snowpiercer’ has moments of pure genius. Discussions about global warming and the preservation of water and melting ice over water give us a sense of the kind of ecosystem and structure under which the citizens of this “eternal” train runs. Little details also pop up about characters in the beginning that come up again towards the end that makes this movie strangely distinctive and a touch more metaphorical. ‘Snowpiercer’, as a film that has a tight grip on your anxiety for the duration, also offers characters in whom we can relax (in a way) for a little with the comedic relief that both Edgar (Jamie Bell) and Mason (Tilda Swinton) bring to this dark and hopeless society. As second-in-command to Curtis and Wilton, the owner of the train, respectively, these two bring something different. Bell, being on the side of the oppressed offers a jovial approach as opposed to Mason, whose firm and harsh way of speaking diminishes once armed men and women are standing between her and “the tail” of the train. Like Curtis, however, she ultimately surrenders to our group of rebels only to save herself unless acting otherwise puts the status quo in her favor.
‘Snowpiercer’ carries with it a few of the typical traits attached to blockbusters like violent and intense scenes, wonderful cinematography and some unique camera shots especially concerning combat sequences (i.e., night vision scene, party train, etc). While the latter factor may actually set ‘Snowpiercer’ apart from its predecessors, if you’re unwilling to let go of some of the logic behind a continuously running train covered in ice and snow, then ‘Snowpiercer’ might not be as enjoyable.
Nevertheless, it is highly recommended that scientific logic be put aside to enjoy what is a good film. Dark themes about sacrifice and economic status placed in this film are what make ‘Snowpiercer’ a dystopian classic. It’s definitely worth your time and money spent at an independent theater.
Jim’s Rating: 8/10
