SNOWPIERCER - Review

Directed by Bong Joon Ho

Screenwriter: Joon Ho Bong.

Screenplay by Kelly Masterson

Story by Joon Ho Bong

Based on the graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Bejamin Legrand & Jean Marc Rochette.

Set in a ‘dystopian future’ where earth’s remaining inhabitants are imprisoned on a train that circles the earth, piercing through a man-made ice age, Snowpiercer is a surprisingly entertaining and original film that brings new elements to the post-apocalyptic / natural disaster genres.

The film has an impressive pedigree, being the first Hollywood / English speaking film by South Korean Director, Bong Joon Ho, who brought us the South Korean cult-classic The Host, which was a clever creature-feature and homage to the Japanese Godzilla films, far superior to the actual reboot of Godzilla, starring Bryan Cranston, that was inflicted upon audiences late last year.

Upon writing this review, it has also come to my attention that Snowpiercer is actually based upon the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, (translation literally being Snowpiercer.)

So not only is Snowpiercer a post apocalyptic / disaster film, but being based on a graphic novel, Snowpiecer also qualifies as a ‘comic-book genre’ movie (graphic novel versus comic book… the debate rages on!)

The adaptation from graphic novel to film would also explain why there are so many bloody different writers credited, e.g. the source writers, the graphic novelists, the ‘story by’ writer, the screenwriters. No less than six individual writing credits! (*A side-note; for reasons only known to the filmmaker, as Director, he has chosen to go by the moniker of Bong Joon Ho / as screenwriter, a slight variation, Joon Ho Bong! Peculiar to say the least. Personally, I can get behind any filmmaker with the name Bong!)

Despite recommendations from friends whose film tastes and opinions I rate, I had successfully managed to avoid watching Snowpiercer for two years since its 2013 release. Even though I was completely unaware Snowpiercer belonged to the ‘comic book genre’ I must’ve somehow sensed it. For one, the lead actor is Chris Evans, none other than Captain America himself! And the artwork also screams ‘comic book movie’. (I wont go into too much detail in this review, but generally I despise ‘comic-book’ and ‘super-hero’ movies. Ok, I will go into detail; I think ‘comic book movies’ are a blight on the film industry and these tent-pole, effects-laden, popcorn movies occupy multiplex cinema screens, chew up studio budgets, essentially preventing real, story-based, character-driven films from cutting through and enjoying mainstream success. This review has given me an idea for a follow-up article. Stay tuned for, WHY I HATE COMIC BOOK MOVIES!)

Even though Snowpiercer looks like a comic book movie and it’s genesis is as a graphic novel, Snowpiercer is anything but comic-book fodder! No, this ain’t no movie, this is an actual film, delivered with great skill by a very talented South Korean story-teller, who knows his craft and knows how to develop characters. Kudos to Miramax for actually giving Director Bong Joon Ho a crack at Producing something original and introducing him to mainstream Western audiences.  

(*SPOLIER ALERT)

The set-up and explanation as to how our characters ended up on the train is brief, explained in a short sequence over the opening credits; to combat rising temperatures as a result of global warming, rather than addressing the issue by reducing our carbon, silly mankind instead opts to spray a coolant chemical called ‘CW-7’ into the upper atmosphere which will supposedly cool the earth! Uh-oh! Just like the spraying of DDT, mankind has fucked it up again and rather than cooling our planet by a few degrees they have accidentally frozen the planet, killing every living thing on Earth, resulting in a man-made ice age. What I like about this short opening sequence is that, from the get-go, the audience is informed that Snowpiercer is a disaster film, albeit man-made, that has an environmental conscience. The footage of jets spraying streams into the upper atmosphere also ties into the conspiro-theory of ‘chem-trails’; a popular theory gaining traction around the web, which suggests that the after-burn trails criss-crossing our skies from air travel is laced with some sort of mind-control drug, a bit like the fluoride in the water conspiracy. So BAM! Two minutes into the opening credits and we have a new, original take on the natural disaster genre. 

How our characters ended up on the train, dubbed the Snowpiercer, for it’s ability to barrel through ice and snow at high speeds, circling the earth, isn’t quite explained until the climax of the film. But what we do know is that, just like any society, there is most definitely a class-system on this train; the poor souls that survive on ‘protein bars’ – dubious looking black jello blobs – in the rear carriages and the trains ruling-class, who live in the first-class carriages at the front of the train. No one at the rear really knows how the passengers at the front of the train live, as no one has ever been that far forward, except for a few times when there was an attempted revolution or mutiny by passengers at the rear before their revolt was quashed. Clearly, the class system aboard the Snowpiercer is a metaphor for present day society, tapping into the recent angst of the Occupy Movement versus the one-percent ruling class.

The haggard, dirty, rag-tag bunch of passengers in the rear of the train are led by the one-armed Gilliam (played by William Hurt). Gilliam is a mentor to our hero, Curtis (Chris Evans) who has been on the train for the past eighteen years. Curtis actually remembers what life was like before the big freeze! Unlike his side-kick Edgar (played by Jamie Bell) who is a ‘train-baby’ and has been aboard his entire life.

What is most impressive is the ensemble cast that relatively unknown director Bong Joon Ho has bee able to pull together for this film, including Octavia Spencer (Oscar award winning actress from The Help), Ewen Bremner (Spud from Trainspotting who’s dialogue must have been left on the cutting-room floor since he barely utters a word), Alison Pill (a.k.a Maggie Jordan from Aaron Sorkin’s hit TV series The Newsroom) and, most significantly, the great Tilda Swinton.

Swinton has amassed a staggering body of work throughout her career. Ten years ago, she may have been considered a less glamorous, low-budget alternative to a Cate Blanchett or Toni Collette. But the performances she has turned in, in roles such as the Angel Gabriel in Constantine, or as the White Witch in the Narnia Chronicles films and her pièce de résistance in We Need To Talk About Kevin, place her well above contemporaries like Collette and Blanchett. 

* Tilda Swinton as Governess Mason, in all her kooky glory!

In Snowpiercer, Swinton’s role as the governess Mason is one of her most impressive performances yet. Her character, Mason, acts as a conduit / diplomat between the front carriages and the rear. Swinton shreds scenes with her mix of humour and surrealism, channelling the Iron Lady herself, like a Margaret Thatcher on acid, the similarities between the fictional character and the historical figure obvious. Maybe this was Swinton’s way of stating; you got who to play Thatcher? Meryl? But she isn’t even British! I digress –

Our hero, Curtis, begins receiving correspondence from an ally at the front of the train via little hidden messages slipped inside his jello-blob protein bars; someone from the front is provoking a revolution and they want Curtis to lead this!  

The messages in the jello lead Curtis to Nam Minsoo, a security expert who helped build the train, and his daughter, Yona, both imprisoned in some kind of sleeper cabin a few carriages further up.

Astute audience will recognise the talented Korean actor Kang Ho-Song playing Nam Minsoo, from the Directors previous breakout cult-film The Host.

Once Nam and his daughter Yona are introduced is when the plot and pacing of Snowpiercer really cranks up! Being a security expert, Nam has the ability to rewire the electric doors that separate the carriages. This, combined with his daughter, Yona’s, clairvoyant abilities, enabling her to see what, or who, awaits on the other side of the sliding electric door, is a massive coup for Curtis (Evans), Gilliam (Hurt) and their rag-tag team of wanna-be revolutionists!

Oh, and did I mention Nam and Yona are both junkies, addicted to the drug Krona; a green, plasticky type substance that is a highly flammable toxic waste that users inhale to get high. More points for originality and quirkiness in inventing a new drug, Krona.

As well as the electronic security doors, the trains hierarchy also have their own henchmen for Curtis and his sidekick Edgar (Bell) to do battle with, none more intimidating than the goon Franco, played by the relatively unknown Romanian actor Vlad Ivanov, who barely utters a word, reminiscent of a younger, meaner version of a Robert Mitchum (younger readers won’t remember Mitchum but he was one of the original Hollywood tough guys.) These clashes with the train henchmen and goons ensure plenty of action and violence as our heroes move from carriage to carriage. (Another compliment I will pay Snowpiercer is that the Director is not at all afraid to kill off his central characters for the sake of driving the story and ramping up the tension and stakes.)

As we move further towards the front of the train, some of the carriages we encounter are fantastical; there is a terranium-style hydroponic carriage enabling passengers from the front to grow fruit and vegetables, an aquarium, complete with sushi bar, a nightclub where all the party people are high on Krona, there is even a classroom with all the students being indoctrinated into the cult of Wilford (Wilford being the train-driver / builder / owner and benevolent benefactor who somehow seen the ice-age disaster coming and had the good sense to load up his train / ark and travel the world on his interconnecting intercontinental rail lines to avoid the impending ice-age apocalypse!) Sounds very silly, I know, this whole scenario requires a suspension of disbelief if you are to buy into the story. There are a lot of logic loop-holes; if’s, but’s and maybe’s and the idea of a train being able to keep chug-chug-chugging along on the tracks, when all else is frozen stiff, is a bit of a stretch to say the least!

*Ah-sung Ko as clairvoyant Yona, inspecting the aquarium carriage.

And so finally we reach our destination, the front of the train, the ‘sacred motor’ section. Driven by our Captain, villain / nemesis, Wilford, played by Ed Harris. By this stage of the story, I had almost forgotten that Ed Harris was even in this film! But here he is, auto-dialling in yet another role as a omnipotent, all-knowing, all-seeing guru figure, not unlike his character in The Truman Show. Wilford represents everything Curtis despises about the class system and train hierarchy. But, as Wilford explains, the Snowpiercer is it’s own functioning little ecosystem and order and balanced must be maintained.  

It is in these climatic scenes between Curtis (Evans) and Wilford (Harris) that a final plot twist is introduced. This twist is so absurd that it almost completely derails the story, somewhat sabotaging the credibility of the entire film. Almost, that is! Putting the twist aside, it was one hell of a journey just getting from the rear carriage to the front that I can almost forgive the filmmaker for the unexpected plot twist. As Wilford explains to Curtis, ‘You are the only man to ever walk the length of this train!’ Wilford attempts to seduce Curtis with the temptation of luxuries enjoyed by passengers at the front of the train. ‘Do you remember what a steak tastes like Curtis?’ … Steak has been extinct for years now’. Will Curtis accept Wilford’s offers of peace and lead the Snowpiercer train and it’s passengers into a new era of peace and equality?

The cleverness of Snowpiercer is in it’s plotting. In hindsight, looking from the front of the train to the tail, it seems so obvious to set a film on a train and use carriage by carriage to dictate key plot points.

Director Bong Joon Ho does indeed combine elements from the environmental disaster / comic-book movie genres but puts his own refreshing new spin on them. I reiterate, a ‘comic book movie’ this is not! No, this is the work of a young, inventive filmmaker and personally I am excited to see what he will come up with next.

All aboard the Snowpiercer, if you can put your preconceived impressions aside (hey, it took me two years to do so!) then you are in for one hell of a bumpy, ballsy, exciting ride! Toot-toot! 

*Photos reproduced without permission.