Snowpiercer Reaction: Cinepals Call Bong Joon Ho's Train Thriller a Well Done, Twisty Ride

Watching Snowpiercer for the first time, we came away genuinely impressed by Bong Joon Ho's post apocalyptic train thriller, calling it intense, twisty and a well done film from start to finish.

If you are curious whether this decade old dystopian thriller with Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton still holds up, that is exactly the question we set out to answer, going in knowing almost nothing beyond the fact that Chris Evans was in it.

Our Overall Verdict on Snowpiercer

Right after the credits rolled, the reaction was simple: "I enjoyed that. That was good. There was a lot of twists and turns in there. Man, what a finish." We also flagged upfront that going into a post apocalyptic story, we knew some heavy subjects were coming, and the film delivered on that promise without ever feeling gratuitous.

The Gilliam Twist Landed Because It Was Fair

The reveal that Gilliam had secretly been working with Wilford was singled out as the most surprising turn in the whole movie. The key observation was that the film never dropped an obvious hint about Gilliam before the twist, yet nothing about it felt like a cheat. As it was put, "even though you didn't get a hint and you weren't able to figure it out because you didn't know there was anything to figure out, you still got that satisfaction of not being played." Looking back, details like Gilliam's missing arm and the pill exchanges suddenly made sense once the truth came out.

Chris Evans and Song Kang-ho Both Got Praise

Chris Evans' restrained performance during Curtis's cannibalism monologue was called the right choice, since going further into raw despair might have been too much given how heavy the film already was. Song Kang-ho's performance as Namgoong Minsu drew even bigger praise, with the reaction being "wasn't Song Kang-ho amazing... his range is crazy."

Each Train Car Worked Like a Level Up Action Game

One of the biggest strengths pointed out was how every car of the train felt completely different, comparing the structure to films like The Raid or Dredd where a hero fights through escalating levels. The agile fighter character who died early in the tunnel fight was called a favorite, with regret that he was not used more. The main action criticism was that some fight scenes were shot too shaky and tight to follow clearly, though a slow motion corridor fight involving Chris Evans was called out as a standout exception.

We closed by noting we still do not fully understand how Yona's clairvoyance works, and wondered aloud whether the 2020 Snowpiercer television series with Jennifer Connelly is worth watching as a follow up.

Have you seen the Snowpiercer TV series, and is it worth watching after this film?