Snowpiercer (2013)

This stops streaming on Netflix at the end of the month, but I hadn't noticed that when I chose it. Mainly, it was about the highest-profile title left on my list. And with the current weather, it seemed appropriate.

The starting event happens only the year after the film's release, so you might think of it as alternate history now: An anti-global-warming measure goes horribly right, rendering the earth nigh uninhabitably frozen. Fortunately, businessman Wilford (Ed Harris) had the foresight to create a somehow self-sustaining train that harvests water by plowing through snow, and it houses more life than you might expect. Unfortunately, those in the rear cars are impoverished and tyrannized, with small children taken away for secret purposes. Hard to retain gratitude for lifesaving at that point. After 17 years of this, Curtis (Chris Evans) leads the biggest lower-class revolt yet, heading for the engine room to seize control. Given the length of the train, the locked doors, and the brutal guards, this will take a while, but they enlist the help of a stoned lock specialist (Song Kang-ho) and his seemingly clairvoyant daughter (Go Ah-sung).

Only later did I learn that the story was adapted from a graphic novel. That explains why some aspects, such as Wilford's deifying spokeswoman (Tilda Swinton, who would work with director Bong Joon Ho again), are so cartoonish that I wondered if they were meant to be funny. At several points, I thought, "Why did they do that?" The violence is certainly over the top, and as the survivors dwindled, I questioned the value of the quest. FWIW, other big-name actors playing rebels include John Hurt, Octavia Spencer, and Jamie Bell.

Why do so many post-apocalyptic dystopias have humans making the situation worse than it has to be? In this case, why treat some passengers much worse than others? Maybe the tail-enders came broke, but what good is money in the brave new world? At least Metropolis has the excuse of the lower class doing labor. Wilford does outline the gist of his rationale, but much like the explanation of how the train can run nonstop and never run out of necessities, it is too undetailed to be convincing. I blame the graphic novelists and Bong having a thing for rich-poor clashes.

I notice that the politics herein don't lean entirely left or right by U.S. standards. On one hand, characters have concerns about wealth distribution, the environment, and overpopulation. OTOH, the government's drastic solutions are presented as unacceptable if not self-defeating.

At times, the enforced destitution, body count, and soft sci-fi reminded me of The Platform. While SP isn't nearly as gross, I think I appreciate TP better. It does more to capture the imagination, partly by not rushing.

SP is comparatively shallow, with a curious mix of bright colors and dark prospects. I can see why some viewers like it, but it does nothing to reduce my leeriness of Korean cinema.