Snowpiercer

 

Snowpiercer is based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige. Directed by Joon-ho Bong, the film stars Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris and Octavia Spencer.

 

Wow. Was this ever a surprise - a strange and wonderful surprise. In the future, the release of a chemical to control global warming freezes the planet instead. Those who could, climbed onboard a train that circles the frozen Earth, powered by a powerful engine . It's all not explained very well but that really doesn't matter. The environment is just a plot device to tell the story of a dystopian future where the rich and powerful enjoy life at the FRONT of the train and the poor and disenfranchised are put in the rear. The movie revolves around the latest revolution by those in the back of the train. Led by Chris Evans, and the eternal John Hurt, the fight for the front of the train begins 18 years after it first started it's journey.

You would think that all the initial survivors of the big freeze would band together to create some kind of society that enriched everyone but that wasn't the case. The few got everything, more than they needed while the poor were left with the scraps. I would hate to think that this kind of world would never result but we all know what we are only one crisis away from Lord of the Flies.

There are some moments of starting beauty as the revolutionaries see the outside world for the first time. Nothing has changed. Everything is still frozen.

Along the way we see the effects of the system that life on this supertrain has created. Everything is off kilter and strange but the characters are a fascinating group and their struggle is real and it's frightening. There are scenes of extreme cruelty that are treated very matter of fact by the people who have a vested interest in keeping the mass of people on the train down. To keep them at the poverty level. If you saw what they make the protein bars out of you would puke. Trust me, if the Robber Barons like Mitt Romney had his way, this would be America. This movie is his wet dream.

Then things got strange and ghoulishly funny. Tinda Swinton is unrecognizable as the ultimate scolding bureaucrat. She spouts her religious devotion to the GREAT ENGINE while saying things that provoke everyone to want to kill her. It's such a bizarre choice for an actor to make but I have to say that I loved every second that she was on the screen. I usually find her very cold but in this role she has never really been more alive on screen.

Much of the violence is slow motion and almost poetic in nature. That style comes from Director and writer Bong who tells the story based on a French graphic novel. I have to track down the English version of the graphic novel to see how the two compare.

There are big ideas here and with all that there is also a nail biting adventure. Just when I think I have seen it all, there is something else around the corner to surprise me. Just like there is something around the corner when you ride any train.

I fully understand the political message and I hate how the train's society is looked upon as something to aspire to instead of fight against. Many people will see this against an indictment of the way the gap between rich and poor has never been greater in our present day society. The evil's of capitalism are the real villains here.

 

"You know everyone has their own pre-ordained position."

Snowpiercer is a politically provocative ensemble piece of legendary proportions. A parable that manipulates the medium in impressively dynamic ways which captivate the mind while delighting the eye. It's a production designer's dream that makes full use of color, mood and style in representing the various rooms within the train. Amidst the futuristic sci-fi effects is a relentlessly sensational, claustrophobic indie about a revolution. Yes the fight for liberty is not an easy one. There will be blood. But it's never in a gratuitous sense to appeal to bloodthirsty interests. Rather the struggles are a reminder that freedom is a right that many have died for lest ye ever take those blessings for granted. A nightmarish brawl shot entirely in the dark is uncomfortably scary. Snowpiercer is the greatest kind of picture. An intelligent saga of well crafted action that creatively entertains with a loopy imagination. It's cinematically dazzling with heart pounding excitement. I'm not sure if this is the best film of 2014 yet, but it's getting pretty close. fastfilmreviews.com