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FILM: (Skip directly to Blu-Ray comparison and Update sections if not interested in a random film review that shouldn't mean anything to you anyway.)
What can I say? This is a science fiction/action film and, somehow, with the incredible direction, production, cinematography, set design, score and, of course, acting, it is really a drama. If someone asked me, I'd wouldn't know what to say. It is as though they took high art independent film drama, impressive all by itself, and transformed it into a sci-fi/action/thrill-ride without diminishing the drama or adding needless comedic silliness. I don't know what to call this but, without doubt, it is the best film I've seen in theater in over a decade. I've seen approximately 100 films that way in that time. It is in the top twenty I've seen in the last decade overall, including all dvd and blu-ray options and television commercial free airings. I've seen approximately 500. The writing is excellent, not surprising as it is Bong Joon-ho's adaptation of a decade's old graphic novel that people still talk about. The direction is excellent, again, thanks to writer/director Bong. The acting is, you guessed it, excellent and you can skip down to the Blu-ray section if that is unimportant to you.
Starting with John Hurt, I can only say he is perfect, as he always is. (Anyone who can make Doctor Zero--the one we've never heard of before--pop off the screen, dwarfing both the 10th and 11th doctor to such an extant one might actually forget they were even there, is an actor who doesn't need my praise. He is an acting god.)
Tilda Swinton is magic, pure and easy. She makes it seem as though her job is fun and simple when it is a tremendous effort born of intense planning and practice and in this role she shines, as in all others.
Chris Evans, an actor too often misunderstood in his style, is true to form in his decision to always analyze the emotion before attempting to play it, rather than just tossing whatever imitation came to mind while sitting in a back-lot caravan on break or sleeping, up at the camera, out to the audience, as though we can't tell if the feeling is appropriate for the character in that moment. My favorite example of mindful acting, for him, is The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, in which he showcased a brilliant ability to play repression without mistakenly conveying depression, an error nearly every actor out there has made at one time or another, generally when they are very young. In Snowpiercer, with similar mindfulness, he seeks to convey a man beaten down to nothing, having pulled himself back up, under the guidance of a revolutionary and father figure, into a creature of will. He has one goal, to lead the revolt, leave the past behind him and fight his way to the front of the Snowpiercer, the massive train you've read about in the other reviews. As he moves through the train, so does he move through his past life, slashing and crushing and tearing at the constructed reality he left behind 18 years ago, when the world ended and his nightmare version of life, a terror that would become the truest reality he could ever have experienced, swelled up around him and swallowed him. We see none of this, of course, or it wouldn't be a great performance. He doesn't flash back or have long conversations about afternoons wandering the hillsides, but he shows us in the absence of joy and the glances away from reminders of what once was, in moments of planning and flailing and moments of internal reflection, without having to rely on these tools of inadequate performance. To see him alongside actors who can be legitimately labeled as perfect, never failing, never faltering, having worked at it for so many years that any writer or director would believe they had won the lottery to have them, Hurt and Swinton and, in the very end, Ed Harris (who I adore), showcasing talent on their screen, Chris Evans, the only Avenger to ever look around him in moments of false and manufactured humor with an expression of "why am I here", while the clowns danced around him, was magnificent and, for that very reason, for being one of the Marvel actors who don't have the opportunity to give you something real, he deserves praise. I am impressed and that doesn't come easy for me. I used to say he's a good actor, citing indie films and random moments in Captain America that almost made it something people might remember in a hundred years, but no more. He is an actor, a true actor, a great actor and, even surrounded by this unbelievable cast of performers, he shines, holds his own, dominates the film and never fails to give the best, highest, most appropriate line reading, literally pitch perfect, even with all that running.
So, if you enjoy science fiction and drama, if you enjoy films that take themselves seriously and don't overcompensate for a weak plot with out of place comedy, if you enjoy films in which characters understand the gravity of their situation and have actual feelings, if you enjoy films with action and excitement interwoven with political and social and religious and philosophical explorations presented through story and idea rather than endless prattle or speeches meant to explain or talk down to an audience the producers believe is made up of morons, if you enjoy storytelling without all the cliché and giant robots... well... congratulations on not being a tool. Also, go see this movie or purchase it and enjoy just as soon as you can. I hate seeing films in theater for too many reasons to list but I saw this one and I will see it again, so take that for whatever it is worth. On to the Blu-ray releases.
Blu-Ray: (Read here for Blu-ray comparison, absent my pontification, for the most part.)
There are now several Region A options available including a Hong Kong release, Japan release and the Korean Kimchee releases. All but one are priced, it would seem, by mental patients and are only worth it if you are filthy stinking rich (which I am not so, moving on). There are also several Region B options, unfortunately, without subtitle options in English, as no UK release has arrived or even been announced. And so, back to the Region A options. Of the Region A options, Hong Kong by Panorama is the only one priced to purchase (yup, it is actually the cheapest at $36). However, as the only release with English subtitles for under $40, it is important to note that the subtitles can either be off or on... that is to say on screen, for the whole of the film or off screen. In theory, you could pause the film and change the settings repeatedly while watching but we both know you are not going to do that. (I'm certainly not.) These English subtitles that are, for whatever reason, so hard to find, are not "forced" subtitles that can never be turned off, but they are continuous in that they cannot be removed once turned on without pausing the film to remove them. To clarify, you can watch and not understand what I consider to be a large enough portion of the film that I was unhappy with this or you can watch and understand via subtitles that cannot be removed for the English portion of the film (which you already understand if you are a region A viewer who cared enough to purchase this film on Blu-ray with no other subtitle options except for, I believe, Chinese). If subtitles are unimportant to you, then you have the option of including Region B, English subtitle-free releases for your consideration. As for the Region B releases, there are two main prints circulating: the French Warner Brothers release print which preserves the original aspect ratio of 1:85:1 and the Italian by Koch media that has been sized to fit a 1:78:1 screen. (There is also a German print that has not been compared favorably to the picture quality of the French version though it also maintains the original aspect ratio.) "of these options, there are pros and cons. The Koch Italian Blu-ray has superior quality in picture and vastly superior audio, however, it is the one that cuts the sides off of every shot to make it fit your screen perfectly. Additionally, some have complained that the blacks are not black enough (though that can easily be corrected with a tweak on your television settings). The French version has very high picture and audio quality but is not the "best available", which is why I felt I needed both. (That and the special features.) And what about features? The Koch edition has a bunch, some in English and some in Italian. The French edition has a bunch, mostly in French, including a documentary that runs 54 minutes and is mostly in French with no English subtitles. Still, they are high quality releases and getting a good deal on either would be worth it if you have a region free player. That having been said, if you are in America or Canada and are not wealthy enough to purchase a region free Blu-ray player or at least a poor person (like me) who was lucky enough to have manipulated someone into getting you the best Christmas present ever last year, then your only choice is to purchase Region A or make your peace with having to wait until the theatrical release has come and gone and the fools in charge of distribution finally decide to release an uncut Region A Blu-ray of this film for Region A in North America because, apparently, they don't like money as much as they should and have no plans at this time. On another note, digital download is available which can be corrupted and is always of lower quality. However, if you are just looking to see the thing, iTunes has it and some VOD services. But if you want a pristine copy for home viewing, these are your current best options and I highly recommend the Hong Kong release for those who are limited to Region A viewing only, the French release for composition hounds (those who can't abide the loss of the slivers down the left and right side of the picture) and the Italian release by Koch for video and audiophiles as it has a higher quality picture (by enough to make a difference but not enough to blow your mind) and much higher quality audio (by fully doubling the quality over any other release). Good luck with this. It is not an easy choice.
UPDATE:
A Region A, North American release has been scheduled, tentatively for October 1, 2014, by Anchor Bay/Starz. No press release has been issued concerning special features though it is a safe bet that this version will, like the theatrical release, contain English subtitles only for Korean dialogue, which, at the very least, makes this worth the buy if you like this film. There is no information regarding video or audio speed or the quality of the transfers, status on 5.1 vs. 6.1 vs. 7.1 master audio or if the files will be LPCM. Additionally, it is unknown as to whether there will be a special or deluxe edition down the line. If I had to guess, this is one of those films that will only receive a double disc edition if the first edition sells very well and demand is high. As for the size, 25 or 50GB, initial information was that it would be a 50GB Blu-ray but no confirmation has been given. I will post additional information as it becomes available. As of now, early August, the Hong Kong release is still the best bet. As for cropping, I saw this cropped in theater (a 1:78:1 presentation) and have a lovely 1:85:1 print from Hong Kong. I can't imagine that they would crop this, however, it is always possible. My recommendation is to pre-order this to lock in the price and watch for more information as it becomes available. You can always cancel if they crop the image or pull some stunt like 685 kbps audio instead of the standard of at least 3000 kbps (and really good Blu-rays are doing 6000 now) or, like me, collect multiple editions for different audio, picture and features.
Random Note:
Not to be rude, but the only people who see films in the theater any more are the sort who think The Avengers is the height of cinema (an action comedy that plays as though it were acted out by cardboard cutouts, with their endless supplies of inner camp just oozing off of the screen as they just couldn't be bothered to care), basically children and people forced to accompany them to those dark no-pause-for-pee-breaks hell-holes. For those of us waiting and wanting to fork over the funds for a Region A Blu-ray of Snowpiercer, for the distinct privilege of viewing an adult oriented action drama, absent Whedon silliness, less the failure to take itself seriously enough to make us care in the least, totally removed from unnecessary apologist comedy (the "I'm sorry my film makes no sense and doesn't tell you much of a story but, hey, Iron Man's irreverent, so it's less embarrassing for the producers, writers, director and actors" apology standard in most action and sci-fi action films of today), we will just have to continue on reviewing Battlestar and cursing Harvey Weinstein, I mean Scissorhands, for his narcissistic obsession with sticking his film cutting hands in where they ought to be slapped away and playing with unbearable delays at the expense of the audience at large. I hate film theaters for these and other reasons and yet, I will see this at least twice, no thanks to the American distribution machine who shall remain a jerk.
Essential Point:
Don't buy the Hong Kong Region A unless you can live with permanent subtitles, not understanding dialogue or having to pause at a couple of critical moments to get subtitles back on. Do buy it if you are limited to Region A as it is the best option available for under $40 and others start at $50 not including shipping. Don't buy any non-UK region B unless you have a region free player and don't need subtitles at all but if you have one and want a region B to play in it, France is best for preserving original composition with no removal of side edges to fit your 16:9 screen and Italy is best for picture overall and is, most importantly, best for audio with a much higher quality track at double the megabytes and 24 bit rather than the standard 16 on the French release. Or, if none fit your needs but you are still interested, you can wait for the uncut Region A release due out sometime after Weinstein gets kicked in the ass by people at his company who actually like money and then realizes the Blu-ray is where that money can be made. Of course, he may never figure that out. He's not very bright. Can you tell I'm getting a little ticked after the multiyear wait? Did I mention I love Tilda Swinton in a non-creepy, non-stalker, just shy of superfan kind of way?
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Science Fiction Classic with Steampunk images
The story is a microcosm of class struggle inside a seemingly eternal train; at the end of the story did anyone escape the paradigm?? I watched it twice before I realized I had to have it in my DVD science fiction collection beside Bladerunner, Dark City, Contact, Inception and Interstellar.
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