It’s taken me multiple viewings to fully warm up to Snowpiercer (no pun intended). Bong Joon-ho’s first primarily English-language film is both brilliantly executed as a sci-fi thriller—boasting stunning set pieces and an inspired apocalyptic bullet train setting—and burdened by an overly on-the-nose allegory about class warfare that at times dulls its impact.
Set in a post-apocalyptic future where a failed climate experiment has frozen the planet, humanity’s last survivors live aboard the Snowpiercer, a perpetual-motion train where a strict social hierarchy has formed. The wealthy elite live lavishly at the front, while the impoverished masses are crammed into the squalid tail section, surviving on gelatinous protein bars. Among the ruling class is Wilford (Ed Harris), the mysterious engineer behind the train’s never-ending journey, and Minister Mason (Tilda Swinton), his grotesquely cartoonish enforcer. In the tail section, Curtis (Chris Evans) leads a violent rebellion, assisted by Edgar (Jamie Bell), Tanya (Octavia Spencer), and the group’s elderly spiritual leader, Gilliam (John Hurt). Their goal: seize control of the train, with the help of Namgoong Minsoo (Song Kang-ho), a drug-addicted security expert who can unlock the train’s barriers.
Bong Joon-ho is a master of visual storytelling, and Snowpiercer works best in high-energy moments where social classes collide in gorgeously choreographed action sequences. The film’s set design is remarkable, with each train car revealing a new and often grotesquely exaggerated piece of this dystopian world. The fight scenes—particularly the brutal nighttime brawl in the narrow train corridor—are some of Bong’s best. And Tilda Swinton, fully embracing her bizarre, twitchy role, is a true highlight, giving one of the most entertaining performances in the film and in her career.
But Snowpiercer stumbles in its third act, where Bong’s signature sharpness gives way to overlong exposition and heavy-handed messaging. Once Curtis reaches the front of the train and meets Wilford, the film grinds to a halt, drowning in over-explained metaphors that lack the nuance of Bong’s best work (Memories of Murder, The Host, Parasite). It regains some momentum in its final moments—with a climactic explosion and a striking closing shot of a polar bear, hinting at life beyond the train—but the pacing issues and clunky dialogue make for a frustratingly uneven experience.
While Snowpiercer is still an effective sci-fi thriller, it lacks the precision and depth of Bong’s strongest films. The action and world-building are top-tier, but the blunt script and overwrought social commentary weigh it down. It’s a visually arresting, ambitious piece of genre filmmaking, but one that ultimately doesn’t hit as hard as it should.
Score: 6/10
Snowpiercer (2013)
- Cast: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Ko A-sung, Alison Pill
- Director: Bong Joon-ho
- Genre: Action, Drama, Science Fiction
- Runtime: 127 minutes
- Rated: R
- Release Date: August 1, 2013
More Reviews for Movies Directed by Bong Joon-ho
Cinephile Corner has reviewed the following movies directed by Bong Joon-ho:
- Barking Dogs Never Bite (2000)
- Memories of Murder (2003)
- The Host (2006)
- Snowpiercer (2013)
- Parasite (2019)