SummaryThe long-gestating series based on the 2013 film by Bong Joon Ho finds humans living on perpetually running trains for over seven years after the world froze but after so many years, class divisions have brought tensions to a breaking point.
SummaryThe long-gestating series based on the 2013 film by Bong Joon Ho finds humans living on perpetually running trains for over seven years after the world froze but after so many years, class divisions have brought tensions to a breaking point.
It’s not really a binge show, as it juggles disparate storylines and switches up key players and themes on a whim. But over time that feels natural; it remains entertaining and unique as its character narratives become deeper and more layered.
What follows is a soapy, ambitious sci-fi season that takes big swings and follows through, engaging with not just class struggle but also leadership, loyalty, compromise, and coalition.
There are so many elements here that work from the ensemble to the craft, but the writing often serves as an anchor on this train, slowing its momentum and potential.
Snowpiercer‘s middling pilot is saved by its leads. We’re intrigued to see what Manson can do with the characters and story he inherited from episode 2 on.
Seemingly a difficult concept in the best of times, Snowpiercer becomes more problematic in the midst of a pandemic, focusing as it does on humanity's warring remnants in a post-apocalyptic world. Even adopting a charitable view of that bleak outlook, the show suffers from soapy silliness, stilted situations and a lack of narrative momentum, preventing this train from ever getting out of the station.
Snowpiercer doesn’t even get out of the station before it goes off the rails. ... The standout performance comes from The Americans’ Alison Wright as Connelly’s second in command—she does a nice riff on Tilda Swinton’s gonzo performance from the film—but in general, the quality of the writing and acting are very basic cable, even for basic cable.