Snowpiercer (2013)

Director: Bong Joon-ho
Starring: Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton

Synopsis:
In a dead world frozen over in a new ice age, a transglobal train is the last refuge of humanity. However, the oppressed have-nots in the tail section prepare to launch a revolution to claim the train for themselves.

Impressions:
First things first, don't think too hard about the premise. Repeat the MST3K Mantra and move on or you'll spend more time picking at holes instead of appreciating this movie for what it is. I tend to find movies dealing with class conflict to be clumsy and ham-fisted. That holds true here as well, but the world of the train is interesting and there's some clever art design. It'll probably appeal to fans of the Bio-Shock series. I liked the cast. Chris Evans is of course made for the hero role, John Hurt was good as the elderly mentor, Song Kang-ho was interesting as the functional addict security expert, as was Ko Ah-sung as his wide-eyed daughter, Luke Pasqualino adds to the action scenes as the semi-feral Grey, Tilda Swinton makes an entertaining villain as Minister Mason, and finally we've got Ed Harris being awesome as the mad genius running the whole show. There are some good set pieces and while the CG varies in quality, overall the effects are pretty good. Like I said, so long as you don't get too hung up on the premise, it's an entertaining enough ride. Give it a shot.

Rating:
Watch It