The film is a massive piece of social commentary, and on the train is a sturdily defined social structure much like on our planet today, at the back of the train the tail passengers live in squalid conditions, the passengers in the middle live lives of lavish decadence while in the head, Wilford, the builder of the train lives in peaceful minimalism.
The tail passengers, lead by Curtis played by Chris Evans surge towards the front of the train hoping to ignite a revolution. The whole train is a metaphor for our societies social structure, for our class system and how the status quo is necessary to keep order.
Mason, Wilford's henchwoman is a fearsome character, played by Tilda Swinton she is a thatcherian masterpiece, with a broad yorkshire accent and ever broader teeth, Swinton's performance is predictably magnificent.
The other performances of this film are also excellent, with Joon-ho directing a fine cast of thespians including Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ed Harris and John Hurt
Visually this film is a treat, with the segments of the train playing important roles, the train itself is a fully three dimensional space, holistically realized and minutely crafted it is a space the audience longs to explore, we long to walk though the orangery and marvel at the aquarium, we long to explore the nightclubs and saunas.
What is also apparent from Snowpiercer is how much of a mash up it is of multiple genres, the film is a blockbuster with an A-list cast, yet the way in which the film analyses our current social system. Snowpiercer is a shoestring indie film, with a massive budget and fantastic cast, and this film is the perfect example of how original films can survive in spite of large budgets.
I really enjoyed Snowpiercer, it's refreshing, unique and original, and it's heartening to see how original films can thrive in our adaptation laden movie release schedule.
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