Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Snowpiercer Blu-ray Movie Review

A place for everything and everything in its place.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 15, 2014

The apocalypse isn't here -- yet -- but cinema sure does enjoy playing with it. From World War Z to The Divide, from The Day After Tomorrow to The Road, the end times come packaged in a variety of styles, including lighthearted fare, special effects extravaganzas, intimate journeys, blood-soaked backdrops, and movies that build on a fear of hopelessness, of inescapability, of a sense of the morbidly inevitable. Snowpiercer decidedly falls into the latter category, cramming what's left of the world into a dark, dank, crowded, and (metaphorically) combustible train in which the haves and the have-nots have been separated for reasons the movie explains in due time. Unnerving and frequently difficult, fascinating and consistently challenging, well made and expertly performed, the film, directed by Joon-ho Bong (The Host), ran afoul of controversy when the studio executives clashed with the creative talents, but the end result is, fortunately, a beautifully grim, darkly captivating, and uniquely assembled picture that's one of the best of its kind and easily one of 2013's finest.

You are the resistance.

In an effort to combat global warming, man unleashed a chemical, dubbed "CW-7," into the upper atmosphere that was to bring about a minor cooling and return the planet to a more manageable temperature. Unfortunately, the consequences are disastrous. Rather than drop the temperature a couple of degrees as desired, it ushers in a new ice age, killing off the entirety of the planet except for the few who managed to board an advanced train created by a locomotive wunderkind named "Wilford." The train is separated into two distinct parts: the haves in the front and the have-nots in the rear. While the people in the back suffer in poverty, unclean conditions, overcrowding, and other maladies, the people in the front enjoy an elegant, clean lifestyle, are fed fresh steak and vegetables, and are taught to worship the very name of their savior, Wilford. One of the unfortunates living in the rear, Curtis (Chris Evans), begins plans for a revolt, to push his way towards the front of the train and seize control. He's helped by a man who has suffered greatly in the nearly two decades of train travel, Gilliam (John Hurt).

Any review of Snowpiercer should state up front that the movie is best enjoyed with as little information as possible going in, so those who have yet to see the movie should stop reading and go watch it (what follows below will be as spoiler-free as possible). A rudimentary understanding of the basic driving force and foreknowledge that the movie enters some grim, uneasy territory is all that one should really know ahead of time, if even that. There's a real sense of discovery as the film moves forward. It doesn't so much change pace as it does change perspective. It doesn't so much open new doors as it does explore the human condition. It doesn't so much celebrate violence but instead admonish it. It's a tricky film to describe without giving it away, leaving a review better suited to reactions on intangibles like mood and atmosphere and basic story themes, not plot-specfic drivers. That said, for as good as it is going in as blindly as possible, it will arguably work better -- and in a completely different way -- upon a second watch, armed with the foreknowledge of not just what happens, but why it happens, how it happens, clearer character motivations, more in-focus character destinies, and so on and so forth. It's thankfully good enough to stand up to multiple viewings and the sort of scrutiny required to truly appreciate everything it has to offer, even as most of it is laid out in a rather neat and orderly manner from the outset.

At its most basic, Snowpiercer works through a number of allusions, calling to mind classic works like Animal Farm and other critiques of humanity through an unequal class system. The film integrates ideas on the division of resources, the haves and the have nots, conditioning, punishment for falling outside the system, and an idea of order out of chaos and everything working in harmony, even when life isn't so harmonious for those carrying out the least glamours roles, whether they're even aware of what they are doing or not. Where the film truly shines is in how straightforward it is with its approach. Even Orwell wasn't this blunt. Sure, the movie builds on the ideas and reveals a number of secrets in due time, but there are no hidden messages here, nothing really wrapped up in disguise, no parallels, no dots for the audience to connect, no deeper understanding of philosophy, sociology, anthropology, politics, or history required to understand what the film is saying and why it's saying it. Those things will help, but the film does a tremendous job in making it all very clear without losing its impact or purpose. That's a very fine line to walk, and the film pulls it off flawlessly, even more impressive considering just how deep the proverbial rabbit hole goes as the film moves towards its end. And that's not even considering some of the more "superficial" surprises that are revealed along the way, such as the source of the back-ender's gelatinous "protein bars" and the "creative" use of the dark tunnels through which the train must occasionally traverse. At the end of the day, however, the one broad message to take away from the movie appears to be that man, no matter how pushed to his limit, how dwindled his numbers may become, cannot escape some animalistic need to rule, to make distinctions, to rise to the top, even in times when survival boils down to a clash between technology and tribalism.

The picture is also an incredible technical achievement. Art direction is incredible for a movie that's, at first glance, so devoid of character. It's that perfection of nothingness and hopelessness embodied in the precision set design, and in such a limited space packed with so many people, that truly helps to sell the movie. Things change, a bit, as it moves forward, but the film always impresses with its visual cues and design choices. It's very well directed, too, feeling cinematic yet intimate, big even within a confined space. Joon-ho Bong proves capable of pulling the audience into every scene, making it, if nothing else, a real bystander in the film and not simply a detached observer watching it unfold from afar. That sense of audience intimacy only helps to enhance the feeling of despair, that sense of legitimate engagement in the story, and by extension makes the revelations more prominent and personal as, again, the movie pushes towards the end. It's brilliantly performed, too. Tilda Swinton is unrecognizable as something of a heavy-handed authoritarian spokesperson for the front of the train. She doles out punishment and not only toes the front-end company line but takes the opportunity to stomp all over the "lesser" people in the back. The performance is disturbingly brilliant, a diabolically efficient performance. Swinton captures the essence of a person who has, by all accounts, lost her soul. The obvious absence of humanity is disturbing, to say the least, and as the character slightly evolves to a different tone later in the film, the performance remains startlingly good. Chris Evans is excellent in the lead role. The part isn't quite so challenging as Swinton's if only because Evans portrays someone on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, one overflowing with humanity and willing to kill to keep it rather than killing because he's no longer a civilized individual. He delivers one of the finest, yet most disturbing, monologues in quite some time around the start of the third act that brilliantly captures the film's core essence. The picture enjoys several strong supporting performances from the likes of John Hurt, Kang-ho Song, and Alison Pill.

Snowpiercer Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Snowpiercer is a tough Blu-ray to review from a technical perspective, too, considering that spelling out some of the things the transfer produces may equate to vague-to-definite spoilers for later portions of the program. Rest assured that whatever lies beyond the back of the train looks terrific, with sharp, pinpoint details and no major technical flaws. All of the back-end train segments, which constitute a good portion of the film, manage to look quite good even under the predominantly flat gray-blue-black backdrops and clothing colors. A few splashes of brighter colors are to be enjoyed early on, for example when one of the front-end train inhabitants ventures back in a relatively bright and showy yellow coat that beautifully stands apart from the dull backgrounds it plays against. Even with precious little color or bright lighting, however, accurate skin textures, tattered clothing lines, and background details are sharp and satisfying. Flesh tones are expectedly a little pale but fit in with the rest of the transfer. Black levels are of a high quality. This is a very strong effort, particularly considering the challenges inherent to the source.

Note: Screenshots are limited to the film's first half to avoid spoiling what lies ahead in the second half.

Snowpiercer Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Snowpiercer's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is outstanding, effortlessly placing the listener on board the train. Music is strong and smooth, with a powerfully natural and dominant presence that's perfectly spaced and defined. Big, heavy effects often rule the day, including the train rushing outside, large doors sliding inside, and various sounds of chaos and anarchy that are all too frequent in various clashes on board. Several surprises lay in wait in the second half; they won't be discussed to keep the review as spoiler-free as possible, but as with the video, delivery of these elements is first-class. There's some solid imaging and directional effects that help to create a robust, realistic environment, from well-placed voices to speaker-specific sounds that easily move between sections of the listening area. Ambient effects are somewhat limited but nevertheless engaging, including background train rattle, passenger chatter, and other small sonic details. Dialogue delivery is expectedly flawless, enjoying a realistic and commanding center-channel presence.

Note that this film, like other Anchor Bay titles, struggles to produce sound on a Sony BDP-S700 player. Repeated disc ejections and replays were necessary to produce sound. No such problems appeared on the PlayStation 3.

Snowpiercer Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Snowpiercer features a commentary on disc one and several additional features on disc two. English and English SDH subtitle options are available via the bonus disc menu.

Disc One:

• Audio Commentary: Scott Weinberg, of Geek Nation, hosts MSN Movies' James Rocchi, the Austin Chronicle's William Goss, Hitfix.com's Drew Mcweeny, Deadline's Jennifer Yamato, and Movies.com's Peter S. Hall. They speak about the movie in some detail, including score, cast and performances, story themes, set design, and many more detailed insightful topics. Guests join Weinberg throughout, so there's no mass of critics speaking over one another. It's a very even, well-spoken, and evolving track that fans will enjoy.

Disc Two:

• Transperceneige: From the Blank Page to the Black Screen -- A Documentary by Jésus Castro-Ortega (HD, 54:27): A piece that offers a detailed history of the source material, from a French graphic novel to its appearance on the silver screen. It chronicles with some specificity the graphic novel's life, including illustrations, writing the story, and the people behind them. It looks at the transition to film and all of the planning and meetings that follow. It discusses Director Bong Joon-Ho's love of the source material, and takes audiences onto sets, looks at story themes, and examines the picture's production design. It also features actor interviews and studies characters. Also included is raw on-set footage, clips from various premieres, and more.
• The Birth of Snowpiercer (HD, 15:09): A much more basic, but no less informative, making-of piece that examines the story and its history, basic plot lines, set design and art direction, shooting details, visuals, performances and the physical demands of the roles, costumes and make-up, Bong Joon-Ho's direction, and more.
• The Characters (HD, 13:08): As the title implies, this supplement more closely examines several of the primary characters who appear in the film and help drive the story forward. Cast and crew interviews and clips from the film propel this supplement.
• Animated Prologue (HD, 4:31): An animated opening that looks at some of the events only mentioned in the film.
• Chris Evans & Tilda Swinton on Snowpiercer (HD, 4:40): The actors share their thoughts on the story and the themes that pulse through it. Additionally, they discuss characters and performers, direction, and more.
• The Train Brought to Life: Behind the Scenes of a Special Screening (HD, 8:06): A look at a promotional tour through Texas that ended with an outdoor screening at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Also included is Tom League's interview with Bong Joon-Ho.
• Concept Art Galleries (HD): Included are Train Concepts and Rochette Paintings.

Snowpiercer Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Though Snowpiercer could be summarized as The Divide meets The Day After Tomorrow, such a comparison, though accurate in a general sense, would be to do the film a disservice. It's fully unique beyond the surface, a powerful, and powerfully performed, cautionary tale about the nature of man, survival instincts, division, humanity, and a whole host of topics that are more often than not examined in a rather blunt, open narrative that's just as effective as films that are much more clandestine about keeping their meanings hidden away in nuance and subtlety. The film is as straightforward as the speeding train, revealing secrets as it moves forward and keeping the audience engaged, guessing, shocked, disgusted, fascinated, and yes, even entertained throughout. Few films manage such a completeness, such a presence, such an authority as this. It's modern filmmaking at its best and a film that will linger long after its reaches its conclusion. Anchor Bay's Blu-ray release of Snowpiercer delivers rich video, robust audio, and a healthy array of supplemental content spread across two discs. It receives my highest recommendation.