Snowpiercer

You know, I wasn't all that thrilled with the summer movie line-up of 2014, but having seen "Begin Again" and "Snowpiercer", 2 very odd summer releases, my faith in storytelling and character development at the movies is coming back around. The movie-making model for Hollywood of late is to make the big splashy tent-pole films that are so front-loaded with being sold as a refreshing mash-up of other well-liked films, and tying into the movie-going audience's penchant for self-indulgent zeitgeist, it leaves very little room in the market for the more thought-provoking films, or simply entertaining films with little in the ways of marketing to the masses.

So, the premise of "Snowpiercer" is tough to get around at first: The earth undergoes a frozen transformation (the future is now), and somehow, the only bits of humanity are all on this long train on a railways system that spans a good amount of the earth in a jagged and curvy loop of railways, with an engine that appears to be able to continue running forever, it would seem.

The conflict arises from the classic battle of the have's and the have-nots, with Chris Evans' Curtis reluctantly leading a mutiny. What happens during this tale is full of social class allegories and the classic "life boat" scenario with many different points of views on board the train, but all sharing the single fundamental desire to remain alive under this fantastical existence on a train that never stops.

Worth seeking out if you are into sci-fi ideas on the meaning of existence in your films.

I give it 3 stars, or a grade of B. Worth seeking out if you are into sci-fi ideas in your films.