Snowpiercer

[loose cannon]

Saw this last week

A real must see (helps if you like smart sci-fi)
The conceit is that following a failed experiment to stop global waming, the earth has become frozen and the only survivors are touring the planet on a huge train that has evolved a hierarchical society that is quasi medieval
Violent - the lower order live in cramped quarters at the back and the film follows their revolt

The film was based on a French graphic novel from the 80s - la transperceneige
Well worth catching - interesting combination of the consequences of the environmental breakdown with our evolving economic structure where the top 1% continue to get richer while the bottom stagnates

Catch it if you can

[Felicity, I guess so]

Snowpiercer

I saw most of it (we went to the wrong cinema at 1st, probably missed 5-10) in Berlin.

Enjoyable, at times deliberately surreal in a Gilliam style (Tilda Swinton's teeth, accent).

But the train metaphor becomes rather crude and clunky.

(And I speak as a wild eyed trot from the lunatic fringe, not averse to crude n clunky when it suits!)

Edit: so, rereading your OP, not 'smart' enough for me.

[Levin]

Snowpiercer

The set up reminds me of 'Yellow Arrow' a book by Victor Pelevin. Using a ever moving train and the people on board as a metaphor for post-Soviet Russia. I really must re-read it.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Snowpiercer

Are you UK-based, loose c?

I ask because one of my students told me about the film in breathless 'it's not getting released in Britain cos it's about a revolution!' terms.

Partly why I went to see it in Berlin, thinking a) I might not otherwise get to and b) that I was gonna see something special...

[Reed John]

Snowpiercer

I'm really looking forward to it. I haven't read it yet. Is it available in English?

What's the basis of the premise? Why does the world have to be on a train?

[loose cannon]

Snowpiercer

Hi Felicity I'm in Luxembourg so I saw the Belgian version with French and Flemish subtitles

Re the social structure - I thought it was a great satirical projection of how society is heading now without having to be put on a train. Maybe I'm more trot than I thought. I've long considered myself a meat-eating-green.

RJ - The train was a project that was set up by a (genius?) industrialist who anticipated global freezing. It's powered by a perpetual motion engine and does an eternal circuit of the planet completing one lap a year.
Apparently the Korean director picked up a pirate copy of the graphic novel and decided to adopt it to film which means that the original creators of the novel got to get some royalties back on their work. Unfortunately most of the them are dead.

[Felicity, I guess so]

Snowpiercer

So it does seem to be that it's not getting cinematic release in the Uk just yet, despite 3 big Uk stars on board.