For the first film in this series I will be reviewing Snowpiercer. It is a South Korean sci-fi film written and directed by Bong Joon-ho. He's done such films as Memories of a Murder and The Host (both great films by the way). Snowpiercer is Bong's first English language film. Though the movie is considered South Korean because its production companies are, the film only has two South Korean actors in it--Song Kang-ho and Go Ah-sung. The films other starts include Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer and Ed Harris.
The film is based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette.
You can watch the trailer here.
The movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. An experiment to counteract global warming went awry and caused an ice age which killed all life on Earth, except for those living on the Snowpiercer--a train powered by a perpetual-motion engine that travels on a globe-spanning track.
The story starts eighteen years later. We are introduced to Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) who is trying to lead a revolt again the inhabitants of the front section of the train. See, a class system rules the inhabitants of the Snowpiercer. The elites inhabit the front end of the train, while the poor are relegated to the tail.
We are told that there have been other uprisings before, but none have succeeded in getting to the front. Gilliam (John Hurt) plays the spiritual leader, you can say, of the tail end. He's well respected, most of all by Curtis.
It's with his guidance that a revolt is in the mist of occurring. The drop that tips the bucket comes when Tanya's (Octavia Spencer) child, along with one other boy, gets taken away by the elite; for what we don't know. A riot ensues because of this.
In one of the best, and most gut churning, scene in the film we see the second boy's father punished for beating the guard that took his son. The punishment is both cruel and unique.
You can watch the trailer here.
The movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. An experiment to counteract global warming went awry and caused an ice age which killed all life on Earth, except for those living on the Snowpiercer--a train powered by a perpetual-motion engine that travels on a globe-spanning track.
The story starts eighteen years later. We are introduced to Curtis Everett (Chris Evans) who is trying to lead a revolt again the inhabitants of the front section of the train. See, a class system rules the inhabitants of the Snowpiercer. The elites inhabit the front end of the train, while the poor are relegated to the tail.
We are told that there have been other uprisings before, but none have succeeded in getting to the front. Gilliam (John Hurt) plays the spiritual leader, you can say, of the tail end. He's well respected, most of all by Curtis.
It's with his guidance that a revolt is in the mist of occurring. The drop that tips the bucket comes when Tanya's (Octavia Spencer) child, along with one other boy, gets taken away by the elite; for what we don't know. A riot ensues because of this.
In one of the best, and most gut churning, scene in the film we see the second boy's father punished for beating the guard that took his son. The punishment is both cruel and unique.
Mason (Tilda Swinton) is introduced to us a representative of the elite; though her exact purpose or job is unknown. She gives an impassioned speech regarding the everyone's place in the world and it's correspondence to their current environment.
She compares the tail end people to a shoe. A shoe doesn't belong on your head. The tail has it's purpose and they must know their place. It's an incredible scene to watch. The scene serves as a great catalyst for a rebellion, and so Curtis and Edgar (Jamie Bell), his right hand man, lead the others past the last train car and into the jail cell car. Here we get introduced to Minsu (Song Kang-ho) and his daughter Yona (Go Ah-sung). Curtis needs him to open the remaining train car doors.
As the story progresses and Curtis goes further to the front of the train, we see a seedier and a much darker reality of what is happening on the train.
She compares the tail end people to a shoe. A shoe doesn't belong on your head. The tail has it's purpose and they must know their place. It's an incredible scene to watch. The scene serves as a great catalyst for a rebellion, and so Curtis and Edgar (Jamie Bell), his right hand man, lead the others past the last train car and into the jail cell car. Here we get introduced to Minsu (Song Kang-ho) and his daughter Yona (Go Ah-sung). Curtis needs him to open the remaining train car doors.
As the story progresses and Curtis goes further to the front of the train, we see a seedier and a much darker reality of what is happening on the train.
What we thought was a simple truth--the elite are evil people who take advantage of the poor--gets turned on its back. Instead we get a cruel realization and a confession that leaves no one innocent.
Like Bong's other works, this too sucks you into the world, and it's a doozy of a world. Snowpiercer is as dark a film as I imagined I would be. Anyone whose seen any of Bong's other films can attest to that. I have really liked most of his films, especially because he's not afraid to go to those dark places. I admire that about his films.
What's more is that his characters are all tortured or flawed in some way. There are no heroes, just humans. Curtis and Minsu are my favorite of the bunch. Curtis doesn't try to be a hero, he knows he isn't one, yet he still has the burden of leadership. The saying that those who don't want to lead are the best leaders fits his character very well.
Under other circumstances he would be a great one, but it is his dark secrets that hold him back. It's interesting to see him come to terms with that and manage to do the right thing in the process. Minsu on the other hand, has more selfish reasons for his involvement in the whole thing, yet he is the only character who thinks of going outside the train. Everyone else is so focused on getting control of the train the possibility of going outside of it, is the last thing on their mind. It's a strange conformism, inherent in their situation, and the fact that they know no other thing to do but live on the train.
I think it interesting to see that once someone is so encapsulated in a way of living, they don't really see many options to overcome their situation. It could be that they all think there is nothing to live for outside the train, yet the way they are living is no life at all. I would take my chances outside rather than stay locked up in a train.
Snowpiercer has a hard kind of realism to accept, but the way I see it, life is not always just. So in that sense the ending is very appropriate. I actually doesn't bother me and it gave me enough hope to leave me content. I definitely recommend this film and it is one of my favorite dystopian film that I've seen this past year. I look forward to seeing what Bong Joon-ho does next.
Like Bong's other works, this too sucks you into the world, and it's a doozy of a world. Snowpiercer is as dark a film as I imagined I would be. Anyone whose seen any of Bong's other films can attest to that. I have really liked most of his films, especially because he's not afraid to go to those dark places. I admire that about his films.
What's more is that his characters are all tortured or flawed in some way. There are no heroes, just humans. Curtis and Minsu are my favorite of the bunch. Curtis doesn't try to be a hero, he knows he isn't one, yet he still has the burden of leadership. The saying that those who don't want to lead are the best leaders fits his character very well.
Under other circumstances he would be a great one, but it is his dark secrets that hold him back. It's interesting to see him come to terms with that and manage to do the right thing in the process. Minsu on the other hand, has more selfish reasons for his involvement in the whole thing, yet he is the only character who thinks of going outside the train. Everyone else is so focused on getting control of the train the possibility of going outside of it, is the last thing on their mind. It's a strange conformism, inherent in their situation, and the fact that they know no other thing to do but live on the train.
I think it interesting to see that once someone is so encapsulated in a way of living, they don't really see many options to overcome their situation. It could be that they all think there is nothing to live for outside the train, yet the way they are living is no life at all. I would take my chances outside rather than stay locked up in a train.
Snowpiercer has a hard kind of realism to accept, but the way I see it, life is not always just. So in that sense the ending is very appropriate. I actually doesn't bother me and it gave me enough hope to leave me content. I definitely recommend this film and it is one of my favorite dystopian film that I've seen this past year. I look forward to seeing what Bong Joon-ho does next.