Yes I know, it's been a while since the last film friday. I am also aware that it isn't Friday when I'm posting this, but I'm letting my penchant for alliteration and my eagerness to post this story get the best of me.
The film that I'm so eager to talk about, the one that has reignited my drive to write these pieces and my general love for film is Snowpiercer, directed by Bong Joon. With a limited release in the U.S. over the summer. I had only heard about this movie two months ago from some back alley-esque film website that I was perusing late at night. Before watching this movie (and I hate to admit this) I had grown tired of recent blockbusters. Wow, another superhero/space-themed movie? Awesome! Wait, is the storyline creative or unique? No? The same old jokes dolled up to seem new and funny again? I was tired of walking into to theaters and knowing how the movie was going to end 20 minutes in. So when I came across this movie, I was more than willing to take a risk on it.
I cannot overstate what a breath of fresh air the storyline was. Set in a (very) near future where a failed global warming cure sends the whole world into the next ice age, the only remaining life lives aboard a non-stop train traveling around the world. The train symbolizes class divisions, life and death, idolatry, and even more that I can't tell you about because SPOILERS. It also stars Chris Evans, an actor that I had only began to see as a certain superhero, but in this film he's a gritty, badass leader who is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the front of the train and lead his people to the freedom they deserve. SO MUCH SOCIAL COMMENTARY wrapped up into a beautiful futuristic train shaped package, and I won't even begin to mention the cinematography or the fight scenes or the scenery that made this film all the more amazing.
Of course not everything was perfect, but I was willing to overlook small imperfections (physics?) for the greater message of the film. This one took risks and while some of it may have been improbable, at least it took the leap to try and give me something different rather than the chewed up and spit out plot and jokes that I've seen these past few months.
Take the time to watch Snowpiercer, even if sci-fi/political/action isn't your cup of tea, you might be pleasantly surprised.
The film that I'm so eager to talk about, the one that has reignited my drive to write these pieces and my general love for film is Snowpiercer, directed by Bong Joon. With a limited release in the U.S. over the summer. I had only heard about this movie two months ago from some back alley-esque film website that I was perusing late at night. Before watching this movie (and I hate to admit this) I had grown tired of recent blockbusters. Wow, another superhero/space-themed movie? Awesome! Wait, is the storyline creative or unique? No? The same old jokes dolled up to seem new and funny again? I was tired of walking into to theaters and knowing how the movie was going to end 20 minutes in. So when I came across this movie, I was more than willing to take a risk on it.
I cannot overstate what a breath of fresh air the storyline was. Set in a (very) near future where a failed global warming cure sends the whole world into the next ice age, the only remaining life lives aboard a non-stop train traveling around the world. The train symbolizes class divisions, life and death, idolatry, and even more that I can't tell you about because SPOILERS. It also stars Chris Evans, an actor that I had only began to see as a certain superhero, but in this film he's a gritty, badass leader who is willing to do whatever it takes to get to the front of the train and lead his people to the freedom they deserve. SO MUCH SOCIAL COMMENTARY wrapped up into a beautiful futuristic train shaped package, and I won't even begin to mention the cinematography or the fight scenes or the scenery that made this film all the more amazing.
Of course not everything was perfect, but I was willing to overlook small imperfections (physics?) for the greater message of the film. This one took risks and while some of it may have been improbable, at least it took the leap to try and give me something different rather than the chewed up and spit out plot and jokes that I've seen these past few months.
Take the time to watch Snowpiercer, even if sci-fi/political/action isn't your cup of tea, you might be pleasantly surprised.