It's such a cliched thing to say, but Bong Joon-Ho's latest futuristic thriller, Snowpiercer, is unlike any movie I've seen before. Based on the French graphic novel, which has only recently been published in English, Snowpiercer takes place in the not-too-distant future. To combat global warming, scientists have created a chemical that when released in mass quantities into the atmosphere lowers global temperatures. Unfortunately, the plan backfires and global temps drop, covering the earth in ice and snow. The few who survive board a train which runs eternally on a track all over the world.
Obviously, you have to suspend your disbelief a bit in order to enjoy this film.
The train, which gets its name from its ability to blast through ice and snow drifts, is a microcosm of our current world: a lucky, wealthy few enjoy the debauched pleasures, such as steam rooms, delicious food, and drugged out parties, at the front of the train. The vast majority of the passengers live in cramped filth in the back of the train and eat disgusting protein bars every day. Enforcers with guns make sure the lower class don't try any funny business to make it to the front.
Chris Evans, the actor who I mainly know through a slow-motion gif of his ass moving back and forth, is unrecognizable as Curtis. Curtis boarded the train at age 17 and saw, up close, the horrors that starvation and deprivation can lead people to. He and his younger buddy, Edgar (Jamie Bell), are planning a revolt to try to make it to the front of the train and into the engine room, where they will confront Wilfred, the mysterious man who created the "sacred engine" that allows the train to run eternally.
There are a lot of shocks and surprises as Curtis makes his way through the train, but there are also some dark laughs. Tilda Swinton is wonderful as Minister Mason, a bizarre, Margaret Thatcher-esque woman who enforces behavior in the lower classes. Swinton's character is something else, and scenes with her add much needed levity to an otherwise very dark and depressing movie. I was continually amazed at how the director seemed to perfectly balance violence with humor, steampunk fantasy with gritty reality, and soul-crushing revelations about the train and human nature with a whiff of hope. Bong Joon-Ho gives it his all in this movie, and even though Snowpiercer seems to transcend genres in many ways, it never feels overstuffed. It left me wanting more.
As for the style of Snowpiercer, apt comparisons have been made to Terry Gilliam (Brazil) and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children). Both of those directors are masters at futuristic fantasy and social satire. I'll also throw in Wes Anderson, who is known, particularly in The Life Aquatic, for his stylized scenes of rooms and spaces. Like these other directors, Bong Joon-Ho puts space at the front and center of this film, and I felt almost dizzy trying to get a sense of how long the train was and how certain scenes could possibly take place in what must be truly cramped quarters. But Snowpiercer deliciously fucks with your sense of space and time, forcing you to suspend disbelief in order to enjoy the movie.
The movie wasn't perfect. There were a couple expository scenes where characters reveal stories that explain their actions. I'm more of a fan of "show, don't tell", so I get rather annoyed at scenes where the characters basically tell their life story. But other than this small flaw, I was blown away by Snowpiercer.
Keep in mind that while I don't think the film is any more violent than a Tarantino movie (my threshold for violence is very high, as readers of this blog well know), there are also scenes of what we might call "social violence" (a man is punished in a creative way for rebelling, children are in peril, etc) that could be very uncomfortable for viewers. But if you can stomach watching a film that is a metaphor for how billions of people live today--in filth, poverty, and violence--Snowpiercer is well worth your time and money.
5 out of 5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment