Summary:
In a frozen post-apocalyptic world, the only survivors of humanity ride a train that travels around the world in an endless cycle.
My Thoughts:
By the time “Snowpiercer” hit theaters in 2013, I was already aware of who Bong Joon Ho was because I’d seen “The Host” and “Memories of Murder”, but I had no idea how large of an impact he would make on the world of cinema by the end of the 2010s decade. I remember seeing “Snowpiercer” in theaters and loving it. I’ve seen this movie more times than I’ve seen any of Bong’s other films, and though I still think this movie is pretty awesome, I also don’t think it’s anywhere near Bong Joon Ho’s best film (that title belongs to “Parasite” or “Memories of Murder”, though a case could be made for “Mother”); it’s just the most fun movie he made until “Parasite” came along. “Snowpiercer” is an action movie with great world building, some pretty phenomenal and memorable fight scenes, and themes that are universal.
“Snowpiercer” rocks.
EAT THE RICH!
Curtis (Chris Evans, “Captain America: Civil War”) lives in the back of the Snowpiercer, a train that runs around the world continuously. The survivors on the train are doing their best to wait out the current ice age, but the passengers who are in the poor part of the train are sick of their living conditions and plan to revolt against the train conductor, Wilford (Ed Harris, “Enemy at the Gates”). Led by Curtis, the passengers in the back, including Gilliam (John Hurt, “The Elephant Man”), Andrew (Ewen Bremner, “Naked”), Tanya (Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”), all try to fight their way to the front with the help of the security expert Namgoong Minsu (Kang-ho Song, “Memories of Murder”).
There’s really a lot to love about this movie, but let’s start with the direction. This is Bong Joon Ho’s first English film, and I honestly think he made the transition quite easily, considering he doesn’t completely speak English (he used an interpreter during his time in the states when he was publicizing “Parasite”). In all of Bong’s films except his first film (“Barking Dogs Never Bite”), his attention to detail is what really sets him apart. In this film, the attention to detail is most impressive with the worldbuilding. This movie is based on a novel, so obviously Bong can’t take full credit, but when you adapt a novel to a screenplay, you still have to choose which details to include, and the ones that he chose to include never bogged down the story or felt unnecessary, in fact, every new detail seems to flush out the world more and make it all the more compelling. In addition to the great little flourishes of worldbuilding, like the kronos drug, the protein bars, clairvoyant characters, Tilda Swinton as the quirky character Malcom, the general layout of the train, the cyclical track that takes a year to complete, and the overall grittiness of the world, this film also attributes humanity’s demise to climate change; it’s incredibly relevant while still being fantastically over the top and bizarre.
Another thing I like about this movie is just the fun that it provides. Movies are, first and foremost, entertainment, and this movie is one heck of a ride. The worldbuilding provides a great setting for our characters to fight in, but those characters are also worth rooting for. As the film goes on, we learn about the characters and the choices they were forced to make in their past, but we also watch them as they fight their way to the front with everything they’ve got. At times, the action in this film feels akin to movies like “Mad Max: The Road Warrior” or “The Matrix”; we pit characters against each other and just let the onslaught happen. It can be brutal at times, but it can also be powerfully emotional, and a lot of that is due to the class struggle themes that this film champions.
Bong has made a career around focusing on the class struggle which all of us face in our daily lives. This film shows us the poorest of the poor and follows them as they slaughter their way through the rich, trying to upset the balance, trying to make the system crumble. It’s no secret that we live in a world where the 1% controls 99% of the wealth. Jeff Bezos has more money than he could spend in a dozen lifetimes; but I guarantee there’s a single mother that works in one of Bezos’ warehouses that is struggling to put food in her kid’s belly; worse yet, how many kids in third world countries are forced into labor to produce Nike shoes, Apple products, or name brand clothes?
If a system can only continue to run when it exploits the weak and powerless, then that system is already broken. I’ve never advocated for violence, but this movie makes a rather compelling case that the system through which humanity is surviving upon right now is not only doomed to fail, it absolutely deserves to fail. Give me another ten years of low wages, growing desperation of wealth, corrupt government officials, and inequal treatment in the eyes of the law, and I might well be ready to take to the streets.
Remember, 1%: we are the 99%, we outnumber you a million to one, and we are hungry and increasingly angry.
Verdict:
While this is far from my favorite Bong Joon Ho movie, I honestly think it’s one of his most accessible. This is a fun action flick with some great worldbuilding, some awesome characters, and some truly relevant themes. I wholeheartedly recommend “Snowpiercer”.
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