Snowpiercer..Chris Evans Sci-Fi Sleeper Hit? (1 Viewer)

[Tino]

Coming to VOD this friday while still growing in theaters. Interesting.http://www.indiewire.com/article/snowpiercer-is-coming-to-vod-early-heres-why-20140707

It's been available on demand for a while now.

 

[Robert Crawford]

It's been available on demand for a while now.

Right, iTunes has it and I almost rented the HD presentation.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Waiting for the BD. Any indication of when this will be available?

 

[Malcolm R]

Theatrical interest seems to have peaked. It added another 100+ screens this weekend, but the overall gross dropped about 30% from last weekend.

 

[Sam Posten]

Interesting, I musta misread the news. What IS changing this week then?

 

[revgen]

Waiting for the BD. Any indication of when this will be available?

it's available in France on bluray.

 

[Patrick Sun]

You know, I wasn't all that thrilled with the summer movie line-up of 2014, but having seen "Begin Again" and "Snowpiercer", 2 very odd summer releases, my faith in storytelling and character development at the movies is coming back around. The movie-making model for Hollywood of late is to make the big splashy tent-pole films that are so front-loaded with being sold as a refreshing mash-up of other well-liked films, and tying into the movie-going audience's penchant for self-indulgent zeitgeist, it leaves very little room in the market for the more thought-provoking films, or simply entertaining films with little in the ways of marketing to the masses.

So, the premise of "Snowpiercer" is tough to get around at first: The earth undergoes a frozen transformation (the future is now), and somehow, the only bits of humanity are all on this long train on a railways system that spans a good amount of the earth in a jagged and curvy loop of railways, with an engine that appears to be able to continue running forever, it would seem.

The conflict arises from the classic battle of the have's and the have-nots, with Chris Evans' Curtis reluctantly leading a mutiny. What happens during this tale is full of social class allegories and the classic "life boat" scenario with many different points of views onboard the train, but all sharing the single fundamental desire to remain alive under this fantastical existence on a train that never stops.

Worth seeking out if you are into sci-fi ideas on the meaning of existence in your films.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B.

 

[Tino]

Did you really think Curtis reluctantly lead the mutiny? I thought he pretty much engineered it.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Well, he leads it to get Gilliam in place, so that's where I'm coming from.

 

[Tino]

Gotcha

 

[Yavin]

I enjoyed this film thoroughly, though the ending reminded me of a Coke commercial. It's exactly what I would expect from a dystopian sci-fi film made by the Wachowskis and Terry Gilliam:

Bong, who makes his English language feature debut with the film, imbues Snowpiercer's over-the-top action set pieces with the same visual panache that's earned him accolades in his home territory of South Korea, bringing a unique twist to each one. It's impossibile to know what the next battle holds for our band of freedom fighters, whether it's brutal and bloody melee combat or a Wild West-inspired shootout, not to mention the moments of über-cool Matrix-like action bravado that sneak up on you when you least expect it. It's that irrepresible element of surprise that allows Snowpiercer to soar, untethered by genre shackles, only picking up momentum as it rolls along.

Speaking of The Matrix, Snowpiercer owes a lot more to that landmark film than just its superficial stylistic flourishes. Though its story of striking back against totalitarian oppression starts out as a thinly-veiled allegory for the Occupy Movement, it slowly morphs into a narrative about illusory control mechanisms, evoking memories of the Wachowskis' grand design. Bong and co-writer Kelly Masterson also tip their hats to Terry Gilliam, not just in the naming of Hurt's character but in the way in which their script blends dark humor with futuristic surrealism and bizarre Orwellian machinations. The only negative is that the story's environmental message (if there ever was one to begin with) falls by the wayside amid all the excitement, but it's doubtful that audiences will really notice, as the end result is so deliriously entertaining.

4 out of 5. My full review is here.

 

[Malcolm R]

I'm hoping to catch this in the next week. It's actually playing here at an independent theater in small-town Vermont.

 

[Robert Crawford]

A fine film, I bought the HD Digital copy from iTunes for $14.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Evans is so damn good in this. He delivers a line that could have had the audience howling with laughter, if it wasn't done perfectly. Also, it's the one line that Harvey apparently really wanted to cut. You'll know it when you see the movie.

I just saw this last night, and really, really enjoyed it -- I don't know if I'd say the movie did anything I haven't seen before, but I think it did it a lot better than most similar movies do.

Chris Evans was great, and that line, wow. (Pretty sure I'm thinking of the same one you are.) And yet, it's so necessary to the film, to understanding not only his character but everyone else's as well. I can't think of a more horrific image, that line has been haunting me all day.

(Why does Harvey Weinstein continue to buy movies that he seemingly doesn't actually like? Especially in this day and age of global connectivity, where even if a movie doesn't come out all at the same time, it's easy to at least tell what's coming out and where, the idea of buying a fully completed film that was seen complete everywhere else in the world, and then chopping it down for U.S. release seems ridiculous. I can't imagine the movie without that line.)

 

[Cine_Capsulas]

Exhilarating dystopian sci-fi loaded with sociopolitical commentary and hard-hitting action. A quirky, distinctive blend of thought and entertainment, or rather entertainment as thought. A film in which the production design itself is as integral to its meaning as in Alien.

 

[spshultz]

I caught the film this weekend on VOD and really enjoyed it. And to be honest, the premise was hard for me to swallow. But, I'm glad I gave this movie a shot.

Chris Evans was great but my hat's off to Tilda Swinton. I feel she did an incredible job as Minister 'Mason'. I'm just not sure how to describe her character. I wouldn't say she's evil or villainous but perhaps more of a sinister politician who is 100% in tune with her position on the train and does what she believes is necessary to keep the order. I probably enjoyed her performance more than the others.

 

[Malcolm R]

I saw it at the local theater this past weekend. Interesting film, and great production design, but I don't think I enjoyed it as much as many here who have seen it.

I'm glad I saw it, but it's nothing I'll need to see again.

 

[TonyD]

It's now on NF streaming.

 

[doug zdanivsky]

I loved this.. Just the right mix of absurdity and clean, honest storytelling.. And thank godness for a plot that isn't on rails and is capable of delighting and surprising me!

Reminded me of T. Gilliam's work (wonder if one of the characters is named Gilliam as an homage)?

 

[Mikael Soderholm]

I loved this.. Just the right mix of absurdity and clean, honest storytelling.. And thank godness for a plot that isn't on rails and is capable of delighting and surprising me!

Reminded me of T. Gilliam's work (wonder if one of the characters is named Gilliam as an homage)?

The whole movie was on rails, no ?
(sorry, couldn't resist)