I'm still kind of processing what I
just watched, not because it was strange or confusing but because it
was more than I was expecting.
Like most people, I'm sure, I heard
about the film 'Snowpiercer' because its star is none other
than the very popular Chris Evans. Realising that it was both a
somewhat post-apocalyptic sci-fi film and one with a serious tone to
it made me very curious, especially because Chris is known more for
his comedic side than his serious one.
Note to Avengers fans, this is also the
role he was in the midst of when he had to hide his grown out beard
for the infamous Shwarma credits scene.
That was quite literally all that I
knew going into the film. I certainly didn't know it was based on a
1980's French graphic novel known as 'Le Transperceneige' but
have discovered that since and am now curious enough to try and track
down a copy of the novel.
The
basic premise of the film is that humans have screwed up royally (as
we tend to do, especially in post-apocalyptic scenarios) and the
entire world has been covered in ice and snow. The few surviving
humans live on the Snowpiercer, a special train that travels
continuously around the world, never stopping. Going outside means
death. If the train were to fail, everyone would die. And, in a
perfect representation of society as a whole, there is a class system
in place where the rich and powerful have everything they want and
ride at the front of the train while those with nothing ride at the
tail.
Curtis
Everett (Evans) is a man who has lived half his life in the tail of
this train, surviving on the little given to them by the elites at
the front. As with any story involving caste systems and the
downtrodden, Curtis and his cohorts want a change and they plan a
rebellion.
This
is South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's first English language film
and contains a cast of Tilda Swinton, John Hurt, Ed Harris and a
grown up Jamie Bell alongside the earlier mentioned Evans, which kind of surprised me as I'd tried not to read much about the film
beforehand. It's all pretty much perfect casting, as is the rest of
the ensemble that makes up the group of interesting and classic
characters.
Visually,
the film had a strange kind of beauty to it and the contrast between
the different parts of the train and the starkness of the white snow
outside it was quite eye catching. The effects weren't perfectly
flawless but there wasn't anything that jumped out too badly and some
parts were amazingly well done. For all that my brain knew the truth
behind this miraculous train to be an impossibility, it all blended well enough together that I was allowed to believe in it for the sake of the film.
The
story was simple, classically so, so there weren't too many surprises
but some of the twists towards the end were unexpected. Despite the
simplicity of the story, or maybe because of it, I found myself
actually quite drawn in and fascinated throughout the film.
Seeing Chris in this role was also a real draw as there were no one
liners, no snappy comebacks, just a seriousness and gravity to the
character that was very believable and deeper than he's shown in even
his role as Captain America. Of course, you find out about his
story as the film goes on, through his own words and his interactions
with those around him and some of it is a little shocking.
I
don't want to give much away, and I certainly don’t want to drum up
expectations, but I found this film enjoyable and entertaining. I
would actually like to watch it again so I can pay more attention to
the background. I recommend this film, to anyone who likes survival
stories or that dead world atmosphere and certainly to anyone fond of
Evans' work as it's a good role for him and quite a change of pace.
