Snowpiercer – Movie Review
Here we have a movie that first got my attention through some internet buzz it received throughout the year. A movie that didn’t get a wide release and only made it into selected theaters. It turned into a sort of ‘insider tip’ and I placed it on my radar. Now that radar made ‘blip’ and I had a chance to see it. I even watched it twice. It’s a very solid production that certainly would have made its budget back in no time. It even did (world wide) with just its limited release. Studio interference held it back. Which is a shame.
The movie is about a train that carries the last small portion of humanity that’s left on Earth. Due to an experimental try to reverse global warming, Earth turned into a refridgerator. In said train it’s a strict hirarchy that separates poor from rich people. After 17 years and lots of attempts to overthrow the rules it’s time for another uprising. The poor people, living in the back of the train, forged a plan to break through to the next part of the train. Of course the more privileged population of the train wants to keep the less privileged in check. With passion and some luck the orgainzed attack is a success, they make a first step and break through the first line of defence. But it’s a long way to the front. We follow a small group and learn a lot of things about what the train is about and how it all works. Which is a good thing, as we learn this new stuff step by step along with the characters we follow. Every now and then a new secret is revealed and moves the story smoothly from beginning to end.
I think it is a movie with some high ambitions. It wants to make a point about the current state of humanity or civilization. How a civilization works. What a civilization has to do, to be successful. There are sacrifices to make. And do these sacrifices define humanity? And ultimately… (and maybe I’m reading too much into it) are we worth it to be saved? All these ambitious questions crammed into a scifi action movie. Does it manage to get it right? Well, I would say ‘almost’. For movies this ambitious there are higher standards than for just an action movie. There are a couple of things in the movie that fall apart if you think too much about. The movie does explain a lot of things and tries to justify why things are how they are. And depending on how much you’re willing to think about it, these explanations work or don’t. I think the term “Suspense of Disbelief” is appropriate here. If you’re able to suspend your disbelief then this movie will be a fun ride, along with some challenging topics. Topics that couldn’t be more current if you’re willing the check the news and how our civilization is also more and more separated between poor and rich.
Beside these serious topics it’s also an entertaining movie that gets a lot of things right. A lot of nice fight sequences with good action. Very creative play with the idea that we’re on a train. Given the fact that there was only very limited space to organize the shots, the camera work is nicely done. There definitely is some good filmmaking on the screen. Also on the screen are some nice VFX shots of a frozen outside world. Mountains, landscapes and cities that once were full of life now lie dead in a white sheet of snow. The execution of the VFX shots is ok and completely sufficient to the needs of the movie. So from a technical point of view it’s a pretty well done film.
There are also a lot of big names in this movie. Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton and Chris Evans. I like all of them and I have to say that everybody did a very fine job in this movie. Chris Evans, who’s the main protagonist, has a chance to show that he got some range as an actor. He did that in earlier films like “Sunshine” (which I love) but I feel that since then he did not have a real chance to do more emotionally enganging parts. I want to see more of that Chris Evans. The other names aren’t just there for one scene either. No ‘stunt casting’ so to say. All of them play important characters and are significant to the plot of the movie. It’s a strange and great combination of actors that does indeed work well.
So all in all it’s a movie I would recommend to everyone. Yes, there are details in this movie that don’t make 100% sense but why should it? It brings up valid topics that are worth some discussion. And if it manages to invoke these discussions amongst people that normally don’t talk about topics like in the movie… job successful. GO see it if you have a chance!
7.8/10
Snowpiercer on IMDb
