'Snowpiercer' takes 'I like trains' to a whole new, disturbing level.

 

Set 17 years after humanity has been virtually wiped from existence by an atmospheric climate-cooling chemical that worked a bit too well, the film takes place entirely on a train that houses the only remaining survivors.

 

This sets the foundation for a harrowing film that examines how humans would react to survive when faced with an apocalypse and whether societal constructs such as class, morality and money would matter at all.

 

Director Bong Joon-ho delves into dark subject matter here that casts a damning reflection on our society today, which is itself stratified in a hierarchy with Western culture sitting atop all others.

 

No one is truly good or evil in this film; everyone is flawed, even protagonist Curtis, played by Chris Evans, moreso than you'd expect.

 

There are many twists and turns in 'Snowpiercer's narrative, much like the locomotive upon which it's set, and some scene changes initially seem so tonally jarring they risk breaking suspension of disbelief. But this is intentional, to further enforce the message Joon-ho is trying to convey, for some aspects of our privileged Western culture today are so at odds with the hardship that the rest of the world experiences daily. When all of humanity is placed together in a tight space, how can this capitalist system be upheld?

 

This is of course not the only message to be gleaned out of 'Snowpiercer', I'm sure, and its questioning of morality may be more confronting, but for a film to make you think, look no further than this one.

 

It always helps when the acting is good too, and Chris Evans is without doubt the standout here, proving he can play complex characters just as well as straightforward ones.

 

'Snowpiercer' is yet another sci-fi this year, although this time a comparatively low-budget Korean one. However the takeaway is the same as with 'Dawn of the Planet of the Apes'; sci-fi is a great genre through which to examine humanity and say something about the world today. In the case of 'Snowpiercer', though, prepare to be disturbed. You won't want to get on a train again for a while.

 

Score: 9.5/10

Published: August 27th, 2014