Snowpiercer (Korean: 설국열차; Hanja: 雪國列車; RR: Seolgungnyeolcha) is a 2013 science fiction action film written and directed by Bong Joon-ho, and based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. A South Korean-Czech co-production, the film marks Bong's English-language debut; approximately 80% of the film was shot in English.
Plot[]
In this sci-fi epic, a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet. The final survivors board the SNOWPIERCER, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine. When cryptic messages incite the passengers to revolt, the train thrusts full-throttle towards disaster.
Why It Rocks[]
- The film's plot and themes are what make it so wonderful. It's a commentary on social class in South Korea, similar to Bong's later film Parasite. It's also sort of a wake-up call about global warming and how it affects our Earth.
- Great acting, especially from Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton.
- It manages to not be just a generic blockbuster action movie and offers something new to the audience.
- Every character develops in some way, especially Minister Mason, going from being the main commander of the guards of the Snowpiercer train to joining Curtis in the revolution.
- The visual effects and cinematography are beautiful, especially the snow.
- The Snowpiercer train's design is absolutely beautiful.
- Bong Joon-ho's gives off great direction.
- Every one of the fight scenes are well choreographed. They're also very fun to watch.
- It's also the gore and brutal violence that make these fight scenes so good.
- The pacing is great as every scene goes on for the right amount of time.
- Surprisingly funny moments throughout, especially the classroom scene.
Bad Qualities[]
- While the comedy is good, it, unfortunately, causes the tone to be inconsistent, which can lead to a serious scene to be ruined with a joke.
- There are some logical problems, such how the train somehow did not derail for the entire 18 years it ran.
Reception[]
Upon release, Snowpiercer received universal acclaim. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 95% of critics gave the film a positive rating, based on 243 reviews with an average score of 8.13/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Snowpiercer offers an audaciously ambitious action spectacle for filmgoers numb to effects-driven blockbusters." Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 38 reviews from mainstream critics, considered to be "universal acclaim".
Videos[]
External Links[]
- Template:IMDb
- Template:Rotten Tomatoes
