At a time when Hollywood is known for churning out
reboots and sequels, playing it safe and avoiding originality like the plague, a gem like
‘Snowpiercer’ comes along and restores our optimism and faith in humanity. Well, not exactly, since (a) movies like this
are the exceptions and not the rule, and (b) it’s technically a product of
South Korea rather than Hollywood, but who’s complaining?
Based on an obscure French graphic novel
called ‘Le Transperceneige,’ ‘Snowpiercer’ is the 'Polar Express from hell' and Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s
dystopian 'steampunk' sci-fi masterpiece, eclipsing his previous big budget creature feature ‘The
Host’ (not to be confused with the critically panned 2013 adaptation of the
Stephanie Meyers novel by the same name). A post-modern
parable couched as a mapcap post-apocalyptic thriller which oozes with bloody
violence, a unique visionary style and black humor throughout, ‘Snowpiercer’ is reminiscent of the
early works of Terry Gilliam. Perhaps
not coincidentally, one of the movie's characters is
named after the Monty Python alum. 'Snowpiercer' also boasts some well known actors, including Chris Evans (fresh from Captain
America), Ed Harris, Octavia Spencer, John Hurt as the aforementioned 'Gilliam' and a bespectacled Tilda Swinton as the magisterial and gleefully
twisted Minister Mason who resembles one of those classic stern English head mistresses and gave us the memorable quote of this review's title.
The underlying poor-stepped-on-by-the-rich undercurrent of
‘Snowpiercer’ is a recurring one in the sci-fi genre, most recently in ‘Elysium,’ ‘District 9’ and the ‘Total Recall’ remake, but the movie
avoided the pitfalls of being preachy or heavy handed. The movie is entertaining and stylish, offering
a fantastic vision we've never seen before.
‘Snowpiercer’ also differs from other movies in its numerous twists and philosophical dilemmas that lend the
movie its unpredictability. With a
certified ‘fresh’ Tomatometer rating of 94% (97% among ‘Top Critics’) and an
average audience rating of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, critics and moviegoers agree
that ‘Snowpiercer’ is an intelligent and spectacular sci-fi thriller well worth
seeing. So what are you waiting for?
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