Review: Snowpiercer

Joon-ho Bong’s unprecedented combination of stunning combat, stylistic eccentricities and dramatic poignancy is so rich and enthralling, there’s no way one viewing of “Snowpiercer” will ever be enough.

In an effort to thwart global warming, a chemical called CW-7 is released into the Earth’s atmosphere in 2014. Soon thereafter, the temperature plummets and the world is consumed by snow and ice. “Snowpiercer” begins in 2031, 17 years after the only survivors entered Wilford’s self-contained safe haven, a train that circles the globe once every calendar year and is sustained by a perpetual-motion engine. On that train, passengers are separated by class. The wealthy indulge in parties, fancy clothing and sushi up front while the rest are secluded to the tail, forced to live in tiny compartments and live off of unappetizing protein blocks. However, the time for change has come and Curtis (Chris Evans) has a plan to take over the front.

“Snowpiercer” is a downright mesmerizing display of hardship, combat and magnificent environments. Bong does an exceptional job developing the world, every member of the cast delivers a wholehearted performance and cinematographer Kyung-pyo Hong churns out one exceptionally picturesque and telling shot after the next. There are some plot holes and believability issues in the mix, but everything else bears such an all-consuming quality that it’s nearly impossible to pull yourself out of the film long enough to assess those issues, keeping them from effecting the overall experience.

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The Best Movie Trailers of the Week

Welcome back to Best Movie Trailers of the Week, a column where we handpick the best new movie trailers that have arrived online over the past week.

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Snowpiercer

The Snowpiercer promotional campaign is making an extraordinary turnaround heading into its June 26 debut. We got one trailer with a frenzied and confusing sampling of the story and thenanother that tried to wow us with action without any character development.

Then this gem arrived, a trailer that captures your attention in an instant through commanding dialogue and then builds momentum as it steamrolls through an enthralling world of politics, heart and thrills. This latest edition picks up right where that previous trailer left off – with the engine. We get a clear sense of what the train is, what keeps it running and why Chris Evans and co. need to put a stop to it, leaving you in full support of their mission

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The Best Movie Trailers of the Week

Welcome back to Best Movie Trailers of the Week, a column where we handpick the best new movie trailers that have arrived online over the past week.

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Lucy

This new international trailer for Luc Besson’s Lucy doesn’t deviate much from the film’s first official promo, but it does offer a little more insight into exactly what Scarlett Johansson is capable of and, in turn, continues to prove that she should have no trouble holding her own amongst the Transformers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Ninja Turtles and any other out-of-this-world heroes trying to dominate the summer season.

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The Best – and Worst – Movie Trailers of the Week

Two release delays and some serious director drama typically isn’t a good sign, but the first trailer for 47 Ronin actually isn’t all that bad. A number of vivid and highly impressive visuals are enough to sustain the film’s first promo, but the display does raise concern that the final film won’t offer enough attention to story details. Regardless of where this one ends up, for now, 47 Ronin is nowhere near worthy of the Best Stuff, but keeps clear of the Worst, too.

The Best Stuff

1. Gravity: The “Drifting” trailer is an unnerving and heart-wrenching display of isolation, but this honor goes to the “Detached” edition thanks to having that plus an absolutely incredible amount of suspense, too. On top of that, it’s tough to imagine Alfonso Cuarón spoiling one of the more riveting scenes in the film, so if he’s willing to unleash this as part of the promotional effort, just imagine the horror that’s to come in the full feature.

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TThe Best – and Worst – Movie Trailers of the Week

The first looks at Evangeline Lilly and Luke Evans in action, and the return of Orlando Bloom are exciting and all, but the very first trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug falls short of evoking that overwhelming anticipation that should come from the first trailer for an impending blockbuster.

The Best Stuff

1. Elysium: The latest theatrical trailer for Elysium is an extended one and it’s still not enough. This baby rocks the ideal balance between character development and story information, essentially functioning as an experience in itself. However, fortunately, it falls just shy of showing too much and winds up making you feel like you’re in the know to the point that you’re invested, and that leaves you desperate for more.

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The Best – and Worst – Movie Promos of the Week

The Super Bowl came and went, and while it did drop off the expected highly anticipated previews, few deserved the game-night attention. The Lone Ranger benefited from a longer running time and the Fast & Furious 6 piece was rather exciting with our first official look at the film, but even those didn’t thrill enough to crack the top three.

The Best Stuff

1. Jack the Giant Slayer TV Spot: We’ve all been pretty hard on Jack the Giant Slayer, and perhaps the film deserves it, but had this minute-long TV spot been the first promotional item to hit the public, you might have thought twice, even if only for a little. Unlike much of the other videos released, this one goes with a more ominous tone, finally selling the giants as a threat rather than a brigade of bumbling cartoons.

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