Snowpiercer (2013)

User Review

• 

  Barneyonmovies

  8 / 10

  WHAT I LIKED: There's no doubt about it, Bong Joon-Ho's Snowpiercer (which takes place in a dystopian future where a gas to combat climate change has plunged the earth into a deadly ice age) packs one of the most inventive science fiction concepts ever put to the big screen. The only people alive on earth exist on a train which circles the world, and this serves brilliantly as a microcosm of social structures and law enforcement.
  
  The poor sit at the back of the train in economy class, the rich occupy the front carriages, and the whole system of food, activity and accommodation and is kept in a careful balance by the train's dictatorial law enforcement. When the oppressed at the rear start a revolution however, the balance is upset and things start to get messy. This very directly brings into question whether it's possible for everyone to exist equally in a world with finite resources, whether personal sacrifice is worth the prize of greater equality, and whether freedom really exists at all. These hugely complex ideas are only explorable because the central narrative vehicle concentrates reality so much and thus allows for scenarios which test those things to play out without them seeming forced or muddied by the nuances of reality.
  
  That also means characters rarely have to spell out ideas themselves of course, and instead room is plenty in the script - despite its busyness - for a little human development, particularly where Chris Evans' Curtis is concerned. Above all else though, Snowpiercer is a thematic film, and the people in it serve more so as brilliant embodiments of classes and authorities - sometimes even amusingly so (Tilda Swinton's midlands-accented murderous dictator being a particular highlight). That means even if it's not the most emotionally-engaging picture, it's a highly fascinating watch that will have you wide-eyed and contemplating the realities of social structures long after you've seen it. That's the mark of a great thematic sci-fi movie, and it's enabled mostly by its ingenious concept and brilliant script.
  
  WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Perhaps because it does lack those broad nuances of reality - rather like a train traveling down one straight tunnel - it somewhat loses sight of the humanity that binds us all together. Maybe you could just put that down to the movie's cynicism, but having slightly more developed characters - at both ends of the train - might have helped to bring things back home a little more effectively. Also, it might have made the ending a little easier to negotiate than the montaged ducking-out that we ultimately got.
  
  VERDICT: A genius central concept that makes for a truly fascinating social exploration, Joon-Ho's Snowpiercer may somewhat lose sight of humanity and reality, but that doesn't stop it from becoming a very successful head-meddler.

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