There's no need to rush and see the new-and-improved, Marky Mark-infused “Transformers: Age of Extinction” opening this weekend.
Michael Bay’s latest opus is sure to be another bloated, overlong example of excess, and its fate as a franchise is already sealed — Paramount recently confirmed “Transformers 5” for a 2016 release.
While “Age of Extinction” makes mincemeat out of the box office this weekend, a much better, original property sneaks into theaters as well — Bong Joon Ho’s English-language debut “Snowpiercer.”
The film is a rare example of bizarro genre filmmaking and I can’t recommend it enough.
“Snowpiercer” is set seventeen years in the future where all that remains of humanity has been packed onto an impossibly long train navigating an otherwise uninhabitable Earth.
The passengers aboard this train have established a class system where all groups are represented, from the impoverished to the extremely wealthy. As you might expect, this system doesn’t fly for very long, and an uprising (led by Captain America himself) begins to take hold. The plot may read like your standard piece of allegorical science fiction, but with talented director Bong Joon Ho at the helm, “Snowpiercer” is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.
The film is always engaging in a “where is this insanity going” kind of way. It masterfully fuses contrasting tones throughout and there is literally never a dull moment. I want to stress just how ambitious and batshit crazy “Snowpiercer” is, but any further details would ruin the magic of watching it unfold naturally before your eyes. Take my word for it — “Snowpiercer” goes places you don’t expect.
The production value and action sequences are top-notch and are only elevated by the fantastic performances from A-listers like Chris Evans, Ed Harris, John Hurt and Tilda Swinton, in what may be her most fun and depraved role yet.
The film’s budget is estimated to be around $40 million and has already doubled it since opening in foreign markets all the way back in late 2013. That money goes a long way, as “Snowpiercer” easily bests every mega-budget blockbuster released this summer thus far.
As I mentioned earlier, the film is all over the place thematically and while one scene may be darkly humorous, the next is just plain twisted. This can be attributed to Bong Joon Ho’s impeccable direction and unique style, and fans of his work (Korea’s ‘The Host, “Mother”) will feel right at home as they laugh, cringe and otherwise marvel at the crazy choices made throughout.
Yesterday, Bong Joon Ho took to Reddit’s AMA section where he eloquently answered fan questions. When asked if the comedy in his otherwise dark films “comes about naturally or if it’s a more conscious decision”, Joon Ho responded:
“Just the idea of whether it be a comedy or a thriller or a sad film, to maintain one tone throughout is very hard to accomplish and feels MORE artificial. I think that in life, comedy and drama and terrifying moments are all mixed together, don't you agree? That's how life is, so it's not like I deliberately or consciously calculates these types of contrasts, it happens naturally. And it's more challenging to do a scene or movie in one tone.
Like with very serious moments in life, if you take one step back, it could be very funny if you look at it with a cynical point of view, or very very happy moments in life, you take a few steps back and it could be very sad. It's really all about distance, how far away you are can change the way you see it drastically.”
Bong Joon Ho also took a moment during the AMA to explain the purported different cuts of the film, stating:
“There was the test of a different version and we tried different things with the editing, but the Weinstein Company decided to release the director's cut, and we have released the same version everywhere. And in the 27th, this Friday it will be in theaters as the director's cut, and I am very happy and I hope you all enjoy it. Just because it's a director's cut does not mean the movie is very long. If you take out the credits it is 1 hour and 59 minutes. I heard the new Transformers movie is 2 hours and 45 minutes long.”
“Snowpiercer” will likely gross mere fractions of “Transformers” intake this weekend, but money made is certainly not indicative of quality. I walked out of both the second and third “Transformers” movies (don’t ask me why I even bothered to walk in), and despite the occasional glorious action set-piece, the films are bland, wholly unoriginal, offensively stupid and, worst of all, incredibly boring. “Snowpiercer” is what happens when a great director has a great script that isn’t motivated by marketing a new line of children’s toys.
Check out the trailer:
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