Snowiercer and Earth to Echo
Got a chance to see Snowpiercer today. The AMC multiplex had it down to two shows a day last week, so with Lucy and Hercules opening last Friday, I assumed it would be gone this week. Thankfully, it was still around, so I drove the long way to see it because I have been really wanting to. I like smart sci-fi and I like to support indie movies, so I was willing to make the 30-mile drive.
Snowpierecer is a decent and well-crafted sci-fi film. That's the nicest way to put it. The acting is ok, the writing has substance, and the overall story is well paced. The problem for me is that it is yet another dystopian tale of the future where humanity (rich White people) has fucked shit up and continues to do so. This is problematic for me because I am 34 years old. I have seen ALOT of gritty dystopian films and read a few of the novels and short stories about such barren future wastelands. I had no idea of the plot going into this so was fairly disappointed.
The premise is that in the year 2014, world governments agree to launch satellites into the atmosphere that will release an untested chemical into the air that will hopefully "repair" the ozone layer and begin an end to global warming. The chemical works too well and ends up screwing up the climate and bringing on an instant Ice Age. Somehow, a small number of humans survive and make it on board a mysterious and gigantic train that never stops moving. This small cross section of humanity has been living on the train for 17 years.
Wacky dystopian antics now ensue. Chris Evans leads the cast and the poor people on the train. John Hurt is his Obi Wan, and Tilda Swinton is the overlord of the train who keeps the poor people away from the rest of "society". Everyone does a fair job with their lines, but there was not much heart in it. Like I said, I have seen so many dark tales of the future where the rich run police states and the poor try to revolt that I just don't care. The story is just fast enough, and some of the characters are insteresting, so I remained interested however.
Snowpiercer is violent, bleak, and mostly generic. There is some thematic substance, but nothing you have not seen before if you read or watch alot of movies. If you are into dark cautionary tales of human flaws, then go for it, you'll likely love this. If you can take that or leave it, then I honestly don't recommend it. It's not a bad movie, just unoriginal. There’s nothing special nor particularly enjoyable, due to the sad tone.
I then hopped into Earth to Echo.
Earth to Echo is also not a standout film, but it is far happier than Snowpiercer. It is a cute, family friendly story of three friends who find an alien and help it rebuild its spaceship. They are trying to hide this alien from an unnamed corporation who has been searching for the alien ship for a few months.
The three boys do a great job of bringing you into their tale of adventure. I laughed and empathized with them the whole way. This is basically an old school Wide World of Disney Sunday night movie souped up with modern CGI. It's a sweet, even-keeled, cheerful movie that anyone can get into, if you like that sort of thing, or did when you were younger. It is very much a kid's film, told from the pre-teen perspective, with pre-teen sensibilities in mind. The jokes and dialogue are on that level and there is no violence or cursing or sex to speak of.
My only complaint would be the cinematography. The director made the terrible mistake of shooting the film as if we are watching a youtube video. \
The three boys use a series of camcorders, Go-Pro cams, and cell phones to record their adventure with the alien and corporate goons and the director mistakenly thought it was a good idea to show this type of footage. There is not one shot in the film that looks like a "normal" movie shot. No, there was a brief scene early on when you meet one of the boys, but for the next 90 minutes, you are treated to shaky spy camera in glasses, shaky bike mounted camera, and fuzzy cell phone shots. It was very distracting and I could see how many people might end up feeling dizzy or nauseous.
Earth to Echo is fun and sweet and heartwarming with decent child acting, and a poignant story of friendship, community, and environmentalism. It's a kid's movie for kids and that's not a bad thing.
Snowpierecer is a decent and well-crafted sci-fi film. That's the nicest way to put it. The acting is ok, the writing has substance, and the overall story is well paced. The problem for me is that it is yet another dystopian tale of the future where humanity (rich White people) has fucked shit up and continues to do so. This is problematic for me because I am 34 years old. I have seen ALOT of gritty dystopian films and read a few of the novels and short stories about such barren future wastelands. I had no idea of the plot going into this so was fairly disappointed.
The premise is that in the year 2014, world governments agree to launch satellites into the atmosphere that will release an untested chemical into the air that will hopefully "repair" the ozone layer and begin an end to global warming. The chemical works too well and ends up screwing up the climate and bringing on an instant Ice Age. Somehow, a small number of humans survive and make it on board a mysterious and gigantic train that never stops moving. This small cross section of humanity has been living on the train for 17 years.
Wacky dystopian antics now ensue. Chris Evans leads the cast and the poor people on the train. John Hurt is his Obi Wan, and Tilda Swinton is the overlord of the train who keeps the poor people away from the rest of "society". Everyone does a fair job with their lines, but there was not much heart in it. Like I said, I have seen so many dark tales of the future where the rich run police states and the poor try to revolt that I just don't care. The story is just fast enough, and some of the characters are insteresting, so I remained interested however.
Snowpiercer is violent, bleak, and mostly generic. There is some thematic substance, but nothing you have not seen before if you read or watch alot of movies. If you are into dark cautionary tales of human flaws, then go for it, you'll likely love this. If you can take that or leave it, then I honestly don't recommend it. It's not a bad movie, just unoriginal. There’s nothing special nor particularly enjoyable, due to the sad tone.
I then hopped into Earth to Echo.
Earth to Echo is also not a standout film, but it is far happier than Snowpiercer. It is a cute, family friendly story of three friends who find an alien and help it rebuild its spaceship. They are trying to hide this alien from an unnamed corporation who has been searching for the alien ship for a few months.
The three boys do a great job of bringing you into their tale of adventure. I laughed and empathized with them the whole way. This is basically an old school Wide World of Disney Sunday night movie souped up with modern CGI. It's a sweet, even-keeled, cheerful movie that anyone can get into, if you like that sort of thing, or did when you were younger. It is very much a kid's film, told from the pre-teen perspective, with pre-teen sensibilities in mind. The jokes and dialogue are on that level and there is no violence or cursing or sex to speak of.
My only complaint would be the cinematography. The director made the terrible mistake of shooting the film as if we are watching a youtube video. \
The three boys use a series of camcorders, Go-Pro cams, and cell phones to record their adventure with the alien and corporate goons and the director mistakenly thought it was a good idea to show this type of footage. There is not one shot in the film that looks like a "normal" movie shot. No, there was a brief scene early on when you meet one of the boys, but for the next 90 minutes, you are treated to shaky spy camera in glasses, shaky bike mounted camera, and fuzzy cell phone shots. It was very distracting and I could see how many people might end up feeling dizzy or nauseous.
Earth to Echo is fun and sweet and heartwarming with decent child acting, and a poignant story of friendship, community, and environmentalism. It's a kid's movie for kids and that's not a bad thing.