Movie review: Snowpiercer

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS.

Hello readers,

I am still up at this hour to write this review for a South Korean-American film, Snowpiercer. The film was released in August last year for South Korean cinemas and as of July 2014, it has been shown in other worldwide cinemas. In my country, I was lucky enough to spot this film in a video shop when it was supposed to show in cinema next month.

Snowpiercer is a science fiction film about a train that travels around the world (I guess) after the population on Earth have extincted. The only survivors are the ones who boarded the train and they were separated according to their class. The wealthy ones would stay at the front of the train while the poor ones would stay at the tail of the train.

Snowpiercer is a film which laid a topic about the unfortunate, horrible classes from rich to poor and the environmental issue which is the current debatable thing among mankinds. The film showed the poors rising up against the richs and what they called it: coup d'état. The poors being treated like a slaves or test subjects. Children being used to keep the engine of the train running for 18 years. People who can't remember how Earth was like since they were in the train for their whole life. It was disheartening to see such situation which fortunately did not happened for real. The film also featured propaganda about the train and Mr Wilford *say like a kindergarten child*.

Unlike The Hunger Games, Snowpiercer was worst than people running around the arena, surviving the matches against different districts. Here, in this film, the richs have a invincible gadgets and weapons to lay the poors down. Imaging yourself, being given a 'protein block' which was made using cockroaches or some kind of insects for 18 years, staying in a crowded squatters and fearing for your life, that is like being in World War II.

Putting the situation and some plot spoilers on hold, Snowpiercer was a film which left me having a poker face. I have no idea whether to judge this film positively or negatively. The storyline was indeed suspenseful at the start, however the excitement and suspense were gone by the time half the film was shown. I also have no idea what to say about the ending since I think it ended quite abruptly. Whoever wrote the film's screenplay, it is either you think it is a "good way to make the film stand out" or that is how the original story, Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob and Benjamin Legrand goes.

Besides the "unfortunate, twisty" ending, the whole cast was great. However, I think the characters were killed off too easily. I wished the film crew would have improve the showtime for the deceased characters, though they may not be important for the film.

In my opinion, Snowpiercer is a film that has a "win-win" situation. If you are the poor, you would feel like going against the richs for the suffering you received. For the richs, there is a need to have boundary and in order to maintain peace, you have no choice but to carry out the actions of what you have to do. It is still a survival test at the end of the day... For me, I support the poors' action and movement and who knows? Maybe you, yourself have a different perspective.

Ratings: 5/10