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| Snowpiercer |
The film presents us a post apocalyptic future where the entire world froze over due to earths global warming. The last survivors of the human race remain living on a snow piercing train. the worlds remaining population is divided to two classes: the passengers of the train who were fortunate enough to buy a ticket to this last fun ride and the people who were granted the opportunity to catch the ride. The privileged passengers occupy the front of the train while the 2nd rate citizens occupy the tail of the train.
Wilford the man who build the train rules everything and everyone using brutal force, when most of the time the tail section habitants are on the receiving end of the punishment. The movie describes the time when the tail section's habitants revolt once again to get the power into their own hand. Lead by Curtis (Chris Evans) they seem to finally found the right formula to change everything in their favor. Snowpiercer brings us humanities best and worst when most of the time we see the worst. People are ready to do the most despicable things to stay alive or sustain their position in the hierarchy of this new society. It was fascinating to see that the privileged were the ones who were massively brainwashed believing in their divine Wilford, and the rest of the shocking propaganda that was pumped into their heads in the last 17 years. On the other hand the tails section passengers were the ones that humane mostly because they were oppressed and were difficult to control.
Snowpiercer is not your regular cheap sci fi / action flick, the final scenes with Curtis and Namgoong Minsu and later on with Wilford can blow your mind giving you answers to questions you didn’t ask yourselves or even know existed.
Video: Snowpiercer Trailer
Chris Evans stars in the apocalyptic, cold and brutal Snowpiercer
Chris Evans stars in the apocalyptic, cold and brutal Snowpiercer
One of the scenes I need to mention was the one with the Teacher (Alison Pill), from its beginning I couldn’t really figure out why was it there. It seemed to be a disturbing exposition giving the audience another clue to what kind of a world Wilford created on his train (to whoever didn’t have enough from the Mason character). The entire performance from Alison Pill was even more disturbing than what we got from Tilda Swinton up to this point. Only towards the end of the scene it got through to our heads what Joon-ho Bong was trying to tell us with it. When your back is to the wall you do anything to survive.
One of the only things I didn’t really get about the film was the train. Why the train? Why not hide in some bunker under all the snow? And if we are talking about the train, what is it running on? Does it refuel? Why does it need to go so fast? What’s the engine is running on? After all, it’s not divine like Willford claimed.
Most of Chris Evans films were always light and fun, and that was even before he joined the Marvel universe as Captain America, Evans was always entertaining and a delight to watch. Snowpiercer was one of the better roles he made in his career, this time playing a deep character with a very dark and shocking past.
Like I mentioned before this is one of the better films I saw in recent time and I’m not categorizing it as one of the better action / Sci Fi films, it’s a great film. this film has unique depth to it, it makes you think how far an individual can go just to survive or maintain what he has in order to help the majority of his kind to keep on going.
Snowpiercer DVD on Amazon
Snowpiercer the Transperceneige Blu-ray Limited Steelbook English Edition - 2 Disc Set (BR & DVD) - French Import - Region B/2
Photo credit: marsupilami92 / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
Yes, "Swinton was disturbingly excellent", perfect description!
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ReplyDeleteInteresting opinion of yours, Sasha Shapiro. I have watched seasons 1-3 completely (not season 4, living in Germany) and finished book 1 recently. Dany Targaryen with her silver hair and her 'silver' (like a barbie doll in teenage horse land) was the sole reason some time ago that I ignored the whole HBO thing - not wanting to buy into trashy fantasy soap (I mean, the 'wedding dancers' at Drogo & Dany marriage were enough for me to change the channel ... those cliche steppe barbarians). BUT ... I watched SOME snippets of the other characters' fates and stories ... and was hooked, could not ignore the books either - and must dig into this GRRM cosmos.
ReplyDeleteWell, my growing feeling of UNEASYNESS with the Dany character, I got by watching the show, is confirmed by the text. I think, there are enough hints on the screen and more in the books, that there is some serious DEFECT, some UNHOLYNESS at work in the Targaryen bloodline (of which Maester Aemon Targaryen has distanced himself in the 'exile' of another oath). There is a trace of despotism, destruction and death throughout the Targaryen Empire (in the past before the Cataclysm of Valyria - and after by the conquest of Westeros), there seem to be illusion, uncontrollable rage, will to power, CRUELTY and MADNESS part of the family heritage ... and it shows, first in the Beggar King's fate and in a rapidly escalating way in the mind and life of his little sister. In that regard I find the Dany character quite fascinating, and I smell Martin's strategy, that a deteriorating dragon queen will be the most rewarding and shocking desillusion of all her fans & followers. And if Martin says, that his fable will end 'bittersweet', then it will end very bitter for Dany, I feel in my guts. If she ends on the Iron Throne, then molten into the metal - by dragon fire. Something like that. And Westeros will be a smoking ruin by then - with very few survivors, I agree with you, Shapiro.
'You are mad.' [Mirri Maz Duur] I take this hint at the end of book 1 seriously.
I hate her for every reason you have stated, every time I read a chapter with her in it, or watch the tv show it just feels like I'm reading/watching a child having a tantrum. She is so self entitled it makes me want to just stop altogether, it's irritating that RR protects her with weak plot and thin reasoning.
ReplyDeleteI liked how Joffrey died, he was a turd and he got what was coming to him. The same goes for Ed, he was great but he made mistakes while playing the game and he suffered for it.
I honestly feel like she is untouchable, everyone is tiptoeing around her like shits gold (Hah Tywin) But come on, all she really has is the (Temporary) support of troops, who I'm sure will pick up and leave when it gets to the point that they either aren't getting paid or start to starve, and I don't think ol Blue beard will stick around, no matter how much he likes to bang her. The people of the cities are having to deal with a ton of soldiers who need fed and such, along with 3 dragons. I can't see them being happy for very long.
One thing that does have me curious is what will happen if she gets the ships and takes the horde to Westeros, I imagine a ton of them would die on the way, due to weather/illness and lack of food (Feeding the dragons) And what happens when she gets there, she and the horde who have no experience fighting in this land (Forests/mountains/rain and snow) are going to have to deal with winter which will bring more illness, I'm no expert so don't quote me, but wouldn't they all get seriously ill, having never experienced a winter like that before?
Also she would have to go against the Goldens, who I'm going to imagine are better trained and better equipped, but again I don't know for sure.