Fans of the film will find enough similarities to give this a try and enough differences to keep you going throughout the first season and into the next.
“Set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, Snowpiercer centers on the remnants of humanity who inhabit a perpetually moving train, with 1,001 cars, that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out in this riveting television adaptation based on the graphic-novel series and film from Oscar winner Bong Joon Ho (Parasite). Snowpiercer stars Oscar winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) and Grammy and Tony Award winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton, Black-ish).
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided us with a free copy of this Blu-ray/DVD that we reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.
In 2013, the original Snowpiercer, which the television show was based, was such a unique and interesting take on the post-apocalyptic genre, confining the last known remnants of humanity to a perpetually moving train, exploring class systems and socioeconomic divides on a train full of rich socialites who have paid their way to ensure the escape of certain death, and passengers who forced their way onto the tail end of the train for the survival for themselves and their families. While the film is excellent in every way, the amount of content you could explore in this post-apocalyptic universe far surpassed what could be covered in a film, and I was very excited that this was being adapted even further into a television show.
The show follows the same story as the film: an experiment to combat global warming has resulted in a deep freeze of the planet, with the train’s continuous movement the only method of survival for the human race. Beyond that, characters and some basic story elements are changed in order to fit the television structure that breaks things down into episodes over the course of seasons. This structure fits the story perfectly, with 1,001 train cars worth of different sights to see, three different classes, all with different social structures and perks, in addition to the tail section, left like animals to fend for themselves, with 400 people restricted to a single car, never being able to see the light of day. This is by far the best part of the show, the wealth of content they can explore in this sci-fi-esque setting, in relation to exploring those themes of class and race, with humanity boiling down to its basic instincts. They will always have some kind of new character to pull out of a train car, or some new secret to unlock, and if the ending of this first season is any indication, there is much more to this world to explore.
As excited as I was to see this show, I will admit, it took me a little while to get into it. I think a lot of that has to do with one of the main characters played by Daveed Diggs. For me, Daveed was very out of place in the show, with his over-acting tendencies to almost ruin every scene he’s in, especially in the early episodes. He never once convinced of his character, and that’s a severe detriment to the show. Jennifer Connelly, on the other hand, is absolutely fantastic in her role. She’s mysterious, and even at the end of the first season I don’t know whether or not I should have been rooting for or against her. It’s revealed very quickly that her role on the train is much larger than she leads on, and through the exploration of this we learn the kinds of choices she has to make every day. By the end of the series, I did my best to accept Daveed’s different style of acting, and thanks to the largely ensemble character type of structure to the show, I was able to overlook the part of his performances that I personally didn’t like.
Here’s an episode breakdown:
Disc One:
- First, the Weather Changed – Snowpiercer, the Great Ark Train, circles a frozen Earth, keeping humanity’s last survivors alive – until a murder on board threatens the established order.
- Prepare to Brace – Layton investigates the murder while gathering intel for his revolution. Melanie faces a resource crisis that could impact everyone.
- Access is Power – Layton descends into the black market, while Melanie stages a prizefight to defuse class tension.
- Without Their Maker – A twist in the murder investigation brings Layton face-to-face with the murderer, and dangerously close to Melanie’s secret.
- Justice Never Boarded – Tension between Third Class and First Class comes to a head at the trial of the Snowpiercer killer.
Disc Two:
- Trouble Comes Sideways – Layton lays track for revolution, while Melanie faces an engineering emergency that threatens every soul on Snowpiercer.
- The Universe is Indifferent – Melanie intensifies her search for Layton as he plots to weaponize her secret.
- These Are His Revolutions – Revolution has finally come. As Layton leads the lower classes forward in armed rebellion. Melanie’s house of cards collapses.
- The Train Demanded Blood – The rebellion forces are on the ropes when a dangerous foe joins them. A plan is hatched to take the train, but it may destroy them all.
- 994 Cars Long – In the revolution’s aftermath, Layton and Melanie realize the greatest threat to their survival is right over their shoulder.
Video
Snowpiercer: The Complete First Season is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen 1.78:1. The show looks exceptional on Blu-ray, very clear and detailed. The show can host a wide variety of different settings, despite taking place entirely on a train. The low level lights of the tail section, the clean, pristine white of first class, and the blinding, icy remains of the world they race through outside; this transfer is able to provide superb picture throughout it all.
Audio
The audio is presented DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. The audio track throughout the series sounds excellent, able to provide some clear and concise dialogue through the center channel in combination with some robust and heavy-action sequences that come through the surrounds. One thing in particular that sounds great is the soundtrack and main theme, which I really enjoy.
Special Features
There are several short featurettes located on this set, providing some really interesting behind-the-scenes information for those interested.
These include:
- Overview
- Class Warfare
- Jennifer & Daveed Behind-the-Scenes Interview
- The Train
- Behind the Curtain: Art of the Frozen World
For a TNT show, Snowpiercer is surprisingly dark and violent, while also providing some great themes and commentary on humanity and social structures. The series was able to keep on an entertaining direction throughout, with some great mysteries that still don’t get resolved in this season. With some interesting content and good writing, I’m very much looking forward to diving in to Season 2, which is currently on the air. If you’re a fan of the film, which anyone who sees it should be, this takes all the good pieces of the film and adds enough new content to make it continually entertaining, hopefully for several more seasons to come.
