Snowpiercer

This article is about the film. For the graphic novels, see Snowpiercer (graphic novel series). For the TV series, see Snowpiercer (TV series).

Snowpiercer
The main protagonist appearing with other supporting characters.
US theatrical release poster
Directed byBong Joon-ho
Screenplay by
Story byBong Joon-ho
Based on
Le Transperceneige
by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyHong Kyung-pyo
Edited by
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 29 July 2013 (2013-07-29) (Times Square)
  • 1 August 2013 (2013-08-01) (South Korea)
  • 30 October 2013 (2013-10-30) (France)
  • 27 June 2014 (2014-06-27) (United States)
  • 27 April 2016 (2016-04-27) (Czech Republic)
Running time
126 minutes
Countries
LanguagesEnglish[6]
Korean[7]
Budget$40 million[8]
Box office$86.8 million[9]

Snowpiercer (Korean: 설국열차; Hanja: 雪國列車; RR: Seolgungnyeolcha) is a 2013 post-apocalyptic action thriller film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette.[10] The film was directed by Bong Joon-ho[11][12] and written by Bong and Kelly Masterson. An international co-production, the film marks Bong's English-language debut; almost 85% of the film's dialogue is in English.[13][14]

The film stars Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer, Go Ah-sung, John Hurt, and Ed Harris. It takes place aboard the Snowpiercer train as it travels a globe-encircling track, carrying the last remnants of humanity after a failed attempt at climate engineering to stop global warming has created a new Snowball Earth. Evans stars as Curtis Everett, leader of the lower-class tail-section passengers, as they rebel against the elite of the front of the train. Filming took place at Barrandov Studios in Prague, using train car sets mounted on gimbals to simulate the train's motion.

Snowpiercer received critical acclaim and appeared on many film critics' top ten lists of 2014 after its international release, with praise for its vision, direction, and performances, particularly by Evans and Swinton. In the United States, the film was initially planned for a limited-screen showing but the critical response prompted The Weinstein Company to expand the showing to more theaters and to digital streaming services. With a budget of $40 million, it remains one of the most expensive South Korean productions ever.[15][16] The fourth volume of the original Snowpiercer graphic novel series, Snowpiercer: Terminus, published 2019, serves as a sequel of the film, establishing it as being set in the same continuity as the original graphic novels.

  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference THRreview was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Hyo-won, Lee (5 November 2013). "South Korea's 'Snowpiercer' Blazes Through French Box Office". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Foundas, Scott (22 July 2013). "Film Review: 'Snowpiercer'". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Snowpiercer, Le Transperceneige". Le Pacte. 30 October 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Snowpiercer". LUMIERE. European Audiovisual Observatory. Retrieved 24 May 2016.
  6. ^ "SNOWPIERCER". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference koreanfilm was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "What The Economics Of 'Snowpiercer' Say About The Future Of Film". Forbes. 9 June 2014. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  9. ^ "Snowpiercer (2014)". Box Office Mojo. 1 August 2013. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  10. ^ Elley, Derek (2 February 2014). "Snowpiercer". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  11. ^ Young-gyo, Kim (27 May 2008). "Film adaptation of French dystopian comic to go global: Bong". Yonhap. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  12. ^ Weintraub, Steve (12 October 2009). "Exclusive: Bong Joon-ho Talks About His Next Film SNOW PIERCER". Collider.com. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  13. ^ Paquet, Darcy (30 April 2013). "What SNOWPIERCER Means to the Korean Film Industry: PART 1 – The summit of KOREAN Film's ambition". Korean Cinema Today. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  14. ^ Bechervaise, Jason (30 April 2013). "BONG Joon-ho, Director of SNOWPIERCER: PART 2 – INTERVIEW "I wanted to make a very exciting train and sci-fi movie"". Korean Cinema Today. Archived from the original on 12 October 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  15. ^ Lee Hyo-won (13 February 2016). "South Korea's Polarizing Film Market: Can Mid-Budget Genre Movies Survive?". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 14 February 2016.
  16. ^ "The 7 most expensive K-drama shows to ever hit your screens". South China Morning Post. 21 September 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.