A new take on the end of the world in Snowpiercer

Saw this one on a whim, and really glad I did. Snowpiercer is a South Korean-American film, written and directed by Bong Joon-ho, and based on a French graphic novel. It has a lot of the elements and themes you associate with graphic novels. It’s hard to explain unless you see the film, but there is a definite east Asian feel to the movie, with scenes, dialogue, and a story that would be just at home in a Korean setting with English dubs. However, they went with a (mostly) English cast, including Chris Evans (Captain America), Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Octavia Spencer (Academy Award winner for The Help), and Jamie Bell (of Billy Elliot and Jumper).

This movie takes place in the near future. In an attempt to curb global warming, governments around the world sprayed a new chemical into our atmosphere. It ended up working too well, and sent our planet into a new ice age. The only survivors are the lucky few hundred that boarded a world-traveling luxury train called the Snowpiercer. The train has been moving continuously for 17 years now, and no one can get off, or they freeze to death quickly outside. Over the years, a caste system has developed, so those in the front live in luxury and to excess, while the poor in the back cars of the train struggle in squalor, and only survive at the whim of the powerful. If it sounds like just a new take on an old story, it sort of is, but this movie does make it different enough that it feels fresh.

The acting is great, though Chris Evans’ attitude and style isn’t much different than his role in Captain America, so maybe he’s just a one trick pony. Everyone else is in form though. Most inhabitants have gone a little crazy after having been cooped up in a train for 17 years, and they all play them to a T.

This film almost didn’t make it stateside, after being released almost a year ago in South Korea (where it went on to become one of the biggest domestic releases ever there). There were some bickerings back and forth between the director and the movie studio here, and it is only now seeing a bigger release due to stellar reviews and huge positive response (a whopping 94% on Rotten Tomatoes right now). This movie is a pleasant surprise. It’s not for everyone, but if you just enjoy good filmmaking, you should check this one out.