Snowpiercer (2013)

My Review

“Snowpiercer” is a science fiction story about a future in which climate change has turned the entire Earth into a new ice age. The remnants of the human race are all crowded on one giant train called the Snowpiercer, which is continually circling the globe on the same railroad tracks. Inequity between the poor section and the rich section of the train produce numerous conflicts, and the heavy drama proceeds from there. The first 15-20 minutes is slow moving, but after the initial sluggishness, the story really pulls the viewer in, making it almost impossible not to watch. “Snowpiercer” seems to contain elements of “Supertrain” (1979 television series) and “Lord of the Flies” (1963 & 1990 films).

The Korean director Bong Joon-ho (“Parasite” 2019) has turned a French novel into quite an engrossing motion picture. Joon-ho and Kelly Masterson adapted the screenplay from the 1982 novel “Le Transperceneige” by Jacque Lob and other writers. The cast includes Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swindon, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Go Ah-sung, John Hurt, Ed Harris, Allison Pill, Vlad Ivanov, Luke Pasqualino, and Steve Park. Swindon and Pill stand out with exceptional performances.

The watchable “Snowpiercer” was successful at the box office for production companies CJ Entertainment of South Korea and Stillking Films of the Czech Republic. It was filmed in the Czech Republic.