Snowpiercer

Snowpiercer was a movie I almost missed. I saw one trailer and while intrigued by its premise it seemed to be uninspiring. Then reviews and audience reactions surfaced (it currently holds a 94% on rottentomatoes) and I knew I had to pay attention. Now after seeing it thanks to VOD I'm left feeling.....underwhelmed. Confused.

It's the near future. Humanity is panicked by global warming and coats the atmosphere with a substance to cool the earth... It backfires and sends the planet into an ice age. The remnant of humanity survives on a super sized train that constantly circles the planet yearly. Now after 17 years, the passengers at the rear of the train are sick of being abused, neglected, and regulated by the occupants of the 'first class' passengers. Curtis Everett is ready to march to the front, take the engine, and make things right. But its a long trip to the front, and this ain't your normal train.

I was excited to see Snowpiercer. Once I saw its star studded cast and glowing reviews I began to build high hopes. In some aspects, Snowpiercer was an incredible movie. Sometimes it felt like completely contrived syfy drivel. The quieter moments of Chris Evans tearful confession, ("I know what people taste like." is one of the most chilling and heartbreaking lines ever delivered.) the ridiculousness of Tilda Swinton, and the menacing Ed Harris are all flawless. The sweeping syfy attempts fall short. The ending is especially disappointing. Here's a movie that should have spent less time on set pieces and more time between characters but all in all it's still far from a terrible movie. B-