I've been reading about Snowpiercer (and reading the whitefont) to figure out if I want to see the movie. I read an interview with the creator (I think) that said the animal at the end was originally intended to be a deer, to show that there was still life outside the train and so humans could survive, but they changed it because the polar bear was supposed to die out but if it didn't, that was a symbol of the humans also being able to survive. I don't know. I think without any prep, I would have been confused about what that was supposed to mean. FTR, I'm not sorry I've completely spoiled myself for this one. I want to watch it but only in the safety of my living room.
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A place to talk about movies--old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
What the artist says is worth taking into consideration, but not the final word."Trust the tale, not the teller" - Neil Gaiman (though he may have been quoting someone else).
Right, Typo. I think I'd have preferred the deer, just for clarity. Like I said, the polar bear would have confused me as to what it meant for the story. I think I'll be totally okay with "and then they died, the end" in this case, though.
What the artist says is worth taking into consideration, but not the final word."Trust the tale, not the teller" - Neil Gaiman (though he may have been quoting someone else).
This. I hate to say the filmmaker is wrong about what they think they presented on the screen, but there is a huge difference between a deer and a polar bear.
It should have been a penguin. Plausibly able to survive in this climate, and not likely to eat the last two humans alive.
right? something. crazy.
It never occurred to me that the bear was supposed to be a direct threat to them.
Me neither, Dana. I interpreted it as the creator intended, a hopeful sign of life. My main concern was that they would try to kill and eat it but maybe it was the LAST POLAR BEAR EVER so they should wait. My friend put forth another idea that I hadn't considered: that the polar bear is a Kronol-induced hallucination.
I really liked the movie, but I don't think it's the Second Coming of science fiction or anything. It's every dystopian movie you've ever seen but ON A TRAIN. The worldbuilding is simultaneously clever and fascinating, delivered piecemeal throughout the movie, and completely puzzling, failing to explain how many things could possibly exist on this train after all this time. It's entertaining and compelling, with strong performances, and it has fabulous action scenes. Plus some weird kookiness here and there that may or may not be meant to make the audience laugh. Also, though the protagonist is a white man, there are plenty of women and PoC in key roles. It doesn't quite live up to the hype, but it does stand out in this market, and, like with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, summer blockbusters could stand to learn from it.
(This may be the only movie ever made where all the white people die and the only remnants of humanity are two PoC. )
I'm with Dana. I took it simply as a sign of life and didn't think any differently.
I guess it didn't make a lot of money stateside? Wiki says its budget was $40 million and it made more than double that in Korea alone, so despite the lackluster US box office, I'm guessing it's considered profitable.
Personally, I loved the film. Sure, it was not large with logic, but it had gumption and momentum and this weird off-beat sense of humour, and I didn't think it was grimdark despite the subject matter and the violence. I particularly loved the structure of the film, where every time a door opened, there was this "what next?!" type anticipation. Kept me on my toes, it did.
I guess it didn't make a lot of money stateside?
It was barely released, though!