Average User Score:
7.2
Feb 12, 2020
Oftentimes science fiction movies have fantastic premises followed up by mediocre plot, acting, and direction. Snowpiercer, while not aOftentimes science fiction movies have fantastic premises followed up by mediocre plot, acting, and direction. Snowpiercer, while not a perfect film or a modern masterpiece as some critics have called it, does a decent job of remedying the common errors made by scifi films. First the premise is most certainly unique and as a result, it is entertaining. While there are obvious questions about the entire premise of the film that aren't explained, if you allow yourself to suspend your disbelief you will have a much better time with this movie. Many other users on Metacritic have labelled these plotholes as the factors that led to this movie being ruined for them. I was personally able to suspend my disbelief, look past the plotholes, and enjoy this movie; however, I completely understand where such users are coming from with their opinions.
The acting in this film, regardless of your belief in the film's premise is, for the most part good. Ed Harris and Octavia Spencer feel wasted and their characters are quite forgettable, but Chris Evans and Tilda Swenson, in addition to really solid performances by Kang-Ho Sang and Go Ah-Sung result in a, for the most part, well acted movie.
The action and cinematography of several scenes are exciting, but the action does fall flat at times and the number of blurry action shots and quick cuts makes it hard to follow resulting in the end result of many of the fights feeling unconvincing. While at times the twists do excite in this film, many fall flat or are far too predictable. The ending also feels vague just for the sake of being vague and suffers from a lack of common sense. The lackluster plot and shaky action scenes are remedied (in addition to the good acting previously mentioned) by the impressive themes that exemplify history repeating itself. The themes of this film are able to be subvert enough to not feel forced, but they are present for those who are working. My final criticism of this film is that the CGI of the train is absolutely terrible and it looks like it was made in 2004, not 2014.
In total, I am very conflicted about Snowpiercer. While the film left a positive taste in my mouth and overall I found myself enjoying it a lot, there are gaping plot holes that threaten the integrity of the themes and thus the movie as a whole. For me, I was able to overlook this film's flaws and have a truly enjoyable experience; however, I completely understand if you cannot.… Expand