Starring: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Release Date: October 21, 2014
Run Time: 126 minutes
Film: 4 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 4 out of 5 stars
Extras: 4.5 out of 5 stars
“Snowpiercer” is based on the French graphic novel “Le Transperceneige”. The film has a fantastic cast including Captain America himself, Chris Evans (“The Avengers”), Song Kang-ho (“The Host”), Tilda Swinton (“The Chronicles of Narnia”), Jamie Bell (“Jumper”), Octavia Spencer (“The Help”), Ewen Bremner (“Trainspotting”), John Hurt (“Hellboy”) and Ed Harris (“Apollo 13”). This film is a must see but is definitely not your typical sci-fi thriller. I love the look and feel of this film. It taken placed all on a train yet it has this much large scale to it. Joon-ho Bong is an amazing filmmaker and he did the same thing with his film “The Host”, which is equally awesome. If you are looking for something original and fresh, I highly recommend this!
Official Premise: It’s been 18 years since we froze the earth. The few remaining humans live on the Snowpiercer, a train on an infinite loop around the globe. For those at the front, it’s a lavish paradise of drugs and sushi in the lap of luxury; for those trapped in the tail section, life is short and cruel. But change is in the air. Curtis (Chris Evans), desperate to escape the tail of the train, plans an uprising, aided by his mentor Gilliam (John Hurt). What begins as an isolated riot explodes into a mass revolution, an all-or-nothing push to the front of the train, and a war for humanity’s future. Who will live and who will die? How far can they go? Is there hope beyond the frozen wastes.
Anchor Bay did something that is quite rare in Blu-ray releases today. It comes with a fantastic slipcover with beautiful artwork from the film inside. It may seem like a little thing but this a real treat when you are used to most bare bones releases. The 1080p transfer is fantastic, which add to the scale of this film. The visual effects are treated very well and look quite sharp. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 also sounds great, especially in the action scenes. You hear the train speeding my at top speed through each speaker. Marco Beltrami’s score sounds amazing as well and really adds a lot to the tension of the film.
“Snowpiercer” only features an audio commentary on the disc one of the release with Scott Weinberg, of Geek Nation, hosts MSN Movies’ James Rocchi, the Austin Chronicle’s William Goss, Hitfix.com’s Drew Mcweeny, Deadline’s Jennifer Yamato, and Movies.com’s Peter S. Hall. It is very in-depth and definitely aimed at the fans. Of course, I forget to mention that the there is an entire second disc of special features included. “Transperceneige: From the Blank Page to the Black Screen” is a documentary by Jésus Castro-Ortega, which is runs about an hour and dives into the film. “The Birth of Snowpiercer” is a much tighter making of piece. There is a focus on the film’s cast in “The Characters”.
There is an “Animated Prologue”, which dives into the events that are described in the opening monologue of the film. (HD, 4:31): An animated opening that looks at some of the events only mentioned in the film. “Chris Evans & Tilda Swinton on Snowpiercer” feature the actors talking about their roles and the film. “The Train Brought to Life: Behind the Scenes of a Special Screening” takes us on a promotional tour for the film through Texas that ended with an outdoor screening at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. Also included is Tom League’s interview with Bong Joon-Ho. Lastly, there are Concept Art Galleries included.