Post-apocalyptic science fiction rarely ends well. It’s fundamentally incapable of beginning well, but the usual conclusion is rarely brighter than surviving under terrible circumstances. The best examples will depict protagonists finding a way to thrive, despite their new lives. Bong Joon-ho’sSnowpiercertakes place in a world in which human-made climate change has forced the survivors onto an eternally running train.
Snowpiercerwas asurprise hit for Bong. The director was already one of the biggest names in South Korean cinema, but he attained some worldwide notoriety for his 2006 filmThe Host.Snowpiercerwas Bong’s English-language debut, and with the help of stars like Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton, it was a critical darling.
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What isSnowpiercerabout?
The year is 2031. In 2014, humanity attempted to reverse climate change by spraying an immense supply of aerosolized chemicals into the atmosphere. The project backfired, causing a new ice age and ending almost all life on Earth. Humanity barely survived, but most ofthe Earth became uninhabitable. Luckily, a man named Wilford predicted the disaster and built a solution. The Snowpiercer, a train that circumnavigates the globe, plows through any barrier and turns snow into fuel, becomes the home for all the survivors. Though life aboard the train should be the great equalizer, Snowpiercer is strictly stratified. Those with means live in luxury, with non-stop parties, quality child care, and the finest food available. Those without are cramped into crowded cars, subsisting on protein blocks and fighting for the bare essentials.
Snowpiercerfollows the residents of the “tail section” as they mount a revolt against the train guards. Their de facto leader, Curtis Everett, prepares to lead the disenfranchised. His mentor, Gilliam, provides guidance and inspires others to fight. The tail passengers become convinced that theguards' guns are empty, as a previous rebellion forced the staff to waste their ammunition. Curtis and his allies fight their way through train cars to reach the front. Curtis frees an imprisoned security specialist named Namgoong and his prescient daughter Yona. With Namgoong’s help, the passengers can force open the protected doors to each new level. They fight wave after wave of armed security, see how the other half lives in the front cars, and struggle to earn a better life for themselves and their kids. As the bodies pile up, the shocking truth about life on the train is revealed, leaving what’s left of humanity to chart a new path.
How doesSnowpiercerend?
The tail army’s rebellion leavesmany good people dead. As the passengers reach the penultimate car, only Curtis, Namgoong, and Yona survive. Namgoong and Yona reveal a wad of explosives they plan to use to escape the Snowpiercer. Curtis refuses, determined to meet Wilford. Curtis has to know why Wilford runs the Snowpiercer this way. He enters the engineer’s car and finds Wilford, an underwhelmingly normal man. Wilford explains that the structure of the train, up to and including regular rebellions, are intentional parts of the plan. Gilliam is Wilford’s ally in the tail. Wilford and Gilliam planned the rebellion as a method of population control, wiping out almost three-fourths of the poor population.
As Curtis realizes that everything he’s ever worked towards has been a lie, Wilford offers him his position at the front. He considers taking the job until he discovers that children are being stolen from the tail to work as slaves inside the Snowpiercer’s engine. Curtis knocks Wilford out. He saves Timmy, the boy trapped in the compartment, though it costs him his arm. Yonalights the explosive asanother young slave enters the engine. Curtis and Namgoong use their bodies to defend Timmy and Yona. The two children survive as Snowpiercer rockets off of the rails. Yona and Timmy leave Snowpiercer for the first time in their lives, and though the land is still frozen, a polar bear wanders in the distance, suggesting that there’s still life out there.
Is theSnowpiercerending different in the comics?
The film adaptation has many large deviations from theoriginal French graphic novelLe Transperceneige. The film is primarily based on the first volume, which also follows a peasant rebellion. A man named Proloff and a woman named Belleau try to escape the rear cars and sneak into the luxurious area. They are welcomed by Colonel Krimson, who asks them to help him evacuate the tail section so that he can disconnect it. They swiftly discover that Krimson intends to detach the cars with everyone aboard. A virus spreads throughout the rear cars, forcing the healthy to fight their way to the front. Proloff shoots out the windows, causing Belleauto die in the cold. Proloff meets the engineer, who saddles him with his position. Unfortunately, the virus is killing everyone aboard. Proloff takes command, but he’s the last man on a train that can’t run forever.
Snowpierceris a bracing tale of class rebellion with a truly stunning ending. Its twists and turns are savage, but its final moments bring a moment of light to a brutal tale. Though itdiffers from the original story, Bong’s take on the material is one of the strongest sci-fi dystopias in modern memory.
