Sci-Fi Snowpiercer (2013)

Kevin

Code Monkey
Staff member
Title: Snowpiercer

Tagline: AD 2031, the passengers in the train are the only survivors on Earth.

Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Drama

Director: Bong Joon-ho

Cast: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, Go Ah-sung, Alison Pill, Luke Pasqualino, Vlad Ivanov, Adnan Hasković, Emma Levie, Steve Park, Clark Middleton, Marcanthonee Reis, Paul Lazar, Tómas Lemarquis, Kenny Doughty, Robert Russell, Magda Weigertová, Jim High, Peter Hallin, Haruna Honcoopova, Ana Braun, Griffin Seymour, Tyler John Williams, Luna Sophia Bar-Cohen, Sean Connor Renwick, Karel Veselý, Park Sungtaek, Brian Foley, Kendrick Roger Ong, Seisuke Tsukahara, Tomáš Dianiška, Miroslav Navrátil, Huh Chan, Lucie Burianová, Jonny Loquasto, Parry Shen, Eunkyung Song, Dana Green, Joseph Bertót

Release: 2013-08-01

Runtime: 127

Plot: In a future where a failed global-warming experiment kills off most life on the planet, a class system evolves aboard the Snowpiercer, a train that travels around the globe via a perpetual-motion engine.
Snowpiercer (2013)

 
View attachment 53103 Snowpiercer is a South Korean movie from 2013 that was based on a French graphic novel. The premise is mankind's attempt at stopping global warming actually had the extreme reverse effect and plummeted the Earth into a new ice age. The last remaining humans are all aboard a massive train with a perpetual motion engine that is on a fixed path circling the entire globe. The front section of the train is inhabited by the ruling class living in splendor while the back section is inhabited by the working class living in horrible conditions filled entirely by misery. The lower class revolt and, when all of the remaining humans are in one place, the outcome will have a huge impact on what is left of humanity.

I ended up staying up till about 3:00AM watching this one as it, surprisingly, held my attention. Chris Evans, in the leading role of Curtis Everett, leader of the revolt, shows that he can give performances that make you forget all about him playing Captain America, and Tilda Swinton is nearly unrecognizable as Minister Mason, public figurehead of the ruling class. The cast itself is pretty diverse with characters from around the world with different ethnicities & backgrounds.

While the movie is set in somewhat contemporary times, with the ice age starting in 2014, the technology varies. The diverse range of train "passengers" handle language differences with some type of real-time translators that would be something you might see today. The flip side is of course the train itself. It was meant to just keep on circling the globe non-stop so it has a perpetual motion machine as its engine that provides power to the train. The train also supports life aboard it by scooping up snow & ice at the front and breaking it down for water supplies. We also get to see self-contained aquatic systems for the front passengers to enjoy items such as sushi while the back passengers are fed protein bars made from... well, if you see the movie you'll find out what they are made from.

A little bit of mysticism is even included with the inclusion of at least on character that is clairvoyant.

As the revolt takes place the back passengers must make their way to the front of the train and blocking them are several "gates", heavily reinforced doors really, that separate major sections of the train. As each gate is passed the rebelling passengers learn more about the train they are on and see the life of leisure that the front passengers have lived in while those in the back live in squalor.

Just as the last gate is about to breached the fighters discover that not all of them share the same end goal. It is during this Evans' character talks about life in the back of the train and what took place during the first few years of life in the back. Turn up the volume during this part because his story is a bit chilling, especially in light of the life & comforts available to the front passengers that they have just seen. Some of the things that you might see in the beginning of the movie suddenly have an explanation for them as well.

I won't give away the ending. I will say though that if you like dystopia movies then add this one to your viewing queue. There are some elements of The Hungers Games, The Matrix (not the virtual reality part, no, but the premise of The One), and even perhaps a bit of Atlas Shrugged as well.
 
Yeah, Got this one about 6 months ago. I liked it
There was a lot of hype surrounding this one so I was determined to finally watch it.

With the final scene my thought was...
... I sure hope those kids don't try hugging that polar bear! :D
 
A bit unexpected but, hey, why not....
TNT has picked up to series Snowpiercer, its futuristic thriller pilot based on the acclaimed 2013 movie of the same name by Bong Joon-ho. The series, from Marty Adelstein’s Tomorrow Studios and Turner’s Studio T, stars Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs.

“I’m a personal fan of Bong Joon Ho’s epic film, and jumped at the chance to honor his original vision, yet expand upon the world and characters with a diverse, award-winning cast,” said Sarah Aubrey, EVP of original programming for TNT. “Science fiction is the perfect genre to examine issues of race, class, gender and natural resources with thought-provoking and exciting storytelling. Snowpiercer will explore those relevant issues while embarking on a wild, action-filled ride.”

The TNT brass had been high on Snowpiercer from the get-go and commissioned backup scripts along with the pilot order.

Snowpiercer, whose pilot was written by Josh Friedman and directed by Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson, is set seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, It centers on the remnants of humanity, who inhabit a gigantic, perpetually-moving train that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival are questioned in this riveting television adaptation.

“Given the exceptional global appeal of the original film, we have a tremendous obligation to ensure the TV adaptation is exceptional in scope and magnitude,” said Adelstein, CEO of Tomorrow Studios. “We have found that with TNT and with our talented cast. Now we are excited to work together in creating a world unlike any other on television.”

Snowpiercer, which co-stars Mickey Sumner, Susan Park, Benjamin Haigh, Sasha Frolova, Katie McGuinness, Alison Wright, Annalise Basso, Sam Otto , Roberto Urbina, Sheila Vand and Lena Hall, is a co-production of Tomorrow Studios and Turner’s Studio T, along with CJ Entertainment. The series is executive produced by Tomorrow Studios’ Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements; and the original film’s Bong Joon Ho, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun and Dooho Choi.

The pickup of Snowpiercer gives Tomorrow Studios two series on TNT, along with Good Behavior. The company also has pilot Highland, whose fate is yet to be determined.
 
I recently rewatched this with pauses and backups.
Its certainly watchable but there are many, many things wrong with the story and the concept just makes no sense.

What struck me as dumb is the premise that it is as it is for sustainable equilibrium for survival but there is no productivity in any of the groups depicted. There is no support of resources in any direction. I mean, what did they show? A limited gene pool in the back of the train in the breeder section. An automated food bar machine manned by one man, an empty living compartment, a greenhouse, a meat locker, a school, a defense car with blindfolded fighters, a steam car, a party car/dance floor car and a few other insignificant unnecessary cars that provided absolutely no survivability support.
Then, add to that unbelievability the fact that Ice destroys by displacement. Train tracks are pretty durable but Ice has the power to completely destroy the substructure the tracks rest upon. The fact that the train and the tracks were built proir to the Earth freezing, and that the train only makes a round trip in a full year, Ice would have derailed that train during the first year. The way to derail a train is not by blocking the rail it is by raising the rim of the wheel away from the rail, Ice buildup along the side of a metal rail would be enough to derail the train.
You can't freeze a limb and smash it off a human body and have the human survive. People die from frostbite that isn't even that severe. You can't cut off your own arm to feed other people. You can survive having your arm cut off and being properly medically treated but you can't cut it off yourself. Especially with a knife.
I looked three times to see what it was the child in the floor was doing that replaced machinery. Absolutely nothing. Plus, holding a spinning gear with your arm is not going to work out too well considering the forces of mechanical advantage and the weakness of flesh. A steel bar might hold it but certainly not a human arm.

Still, the train wreck was pretty cool.
 

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