Snowpiercer Season One Early Review

Ever since the success of 2019’s Parasite, Bong Joon-ho has been a hot commodity. Despite this, Snowpiercer, a television series based on his feature film of the same name has been in development since late 2016 but is now upon us. How will such an epic cinematic sci-fi adventure fare on the small screen? The answer to that question is surprisingly well for the most part. It will be immediately clear while watching that the production value is definitely there, however, the limitations of television are still there. Created and executive produced by the co-creator of Orphan Black, Graeme Manson, executive produced by Bong Joon Ho and Scott Derrickson among many others, and starring Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs, the series is certainly in ample hands.

Those familiar with the original film or even the film’s original source material, the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, should have a pretty good idea of what’s going on here. For anyone else, Snowpiercer follows the inhabitants of a perpetually moving train called Snowpiercer, seven years after the Earth has become a frozen, desolate wasteland. The film dealt with such issues as class warfare and social injustice, the series tackles those same issues along those same lines. Among the train’s 1001 cars long (the series won’t let viewers forget it) was a living and breathing, self-sustaining ecosystem that was also separated by different classes with those in first and second class, or those who could afford tickets to board the train, getting to experience the best of what the train had to offer, however, the majority of passengers in third class worked for their position aboard. Meanwhile, the poor  who risked their lives to get on board lived in the tail of the train on scraps and were generally frowned upon, earning the nickname of Tailies.

At the control of the train was the eternal engine and the mysterious recluse known as Mr. Wilford. The public face of the operation was the head of hospitality, Melanie Cavill (Connelly), a woman who wore many hats to ensure the train ran smoothly. On the other end of the spectrum were Andre Layton (Diggs) and the rest of the Tailies who faced their fair share of hardships in the tail. While Cavill consulted with engineers and indulged the first class passengers, she managed all the other departments aboard the train. At the same time, the Tailies struggled to survive under poor conditions, becoming essentially an afterthought. However, what kept them going was the aspiration that one day. they would take over the train though first someone had to get out of the tail.

The seemingly status quo would be be upset once the train fell victim to a series of murders. Being a former detective, Layton would be reluctantly called into duty to investigate. While the class divide was certainly there, the extent of that divide became increasing clear during Layton’s investigation which took him throughout the train, learning its many intricacies and getting a glimpse of what it had to offer. Despite being outside the tail, Layton was seemingly still kept at arms length from the many mysteries of the train as Cavill and the powers that be had different intentions for him. However, this unsurprisingly did not deter him as he was determined to do what was best for the tail and find out the truth, playing both sides as he put his loyalty to them above the chance of a better life. This unsurprisingly was just the tip of the iceberg as far as the train was concerned.

Tension increasingly grew over the course of the season as something inevitably had to give as the ideology that held the train together slowly began to crumble (those who have seen the film kind of know where things go from there). As Layton left the tail, the story of the tail and its inhabitants were pushed to the sidelines. The same was more or less the case with Cavill whose lack of character development was a little disappointing thus limiting the impact of her character arc as she rose through the ranks, taking on the many pressures of being the leader of the train while eventually becoming a foil to Layton. What defined Layton was his loyalty to the Tailies for which he became their de facto leader, stemming from his time as a Detroit detective and a pillar of his community. Giving us just a glimpse of this past, it’s easy to have wanted more. As this season focused mostly on world building, hopefully with an early renewal for another season, Season 2 can bring us more backstory for Cavill and Layton.

Snowpiercer may not be for the feint of heart. The level of violence will definitely surprise some viewers, however, its surely unintentional comical nature may take some out of the experience. Let’s just face it, with a series like this, that was probably not at the top of the list in terms of budget but this would just be a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. As mentioned, the production value is definitely there as the series was never dull to look at, from the imaginative and elaborate set design that brought many of the train’s cars to life (with even more to come) and the costumes that emphasized the contrast in status amongst the passengers, to the special effects including occasional outside train shots and CGI outdoor shots (though the series obviously could only do so many).

The best part of Snowpiercer, and what ultimately made it work, was the great performances of Connelly and Diggs as Cavill and Layton. Their star power is undeniable as they elevate each character, bringing humanity to each, and making them compelling to watch. They may be different ideologically but they were both relatable as each had their own reasons. As an authority figure, Cavill exuded authority while Connelly showed great vulnerability. On the other side, Layton’s determination was admirable and his screen presence was effortless as other characters gravitated towards him all thanks to Diggs’ incredible charm and charisma. While it would have been nice to see them in more scenes together, the Connelly and Diggs scenes we did get were strong thanks to their great chemistry. Meanwhile. the supporting cast (for which there are too many to name) all chipped in with solid performances, however, this was Connelly and Diggs’ show.

At the end of the day, Snowpiercer is an exciting series that is sure to fit the void nicely and is a perfect binge watch during these troubled times. Fans of the original film will find plenty of enjoy but in the end, this series is its own thing, meaning people who haven’t seen the film won’t be missing anything. Get on this train, coming soon to TNT in the United States and Netflix worldwide.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.