Review: 'Snowpiercer' a futuristic social satire

• Critic%27s review%3A 4.5 stars
• Joon-ho Bong's first English-language film is confident and entertaining.
• It's a heavy-handed allegory%2C but an enjoyable one%2C too.
• Each car they break into contains a new%2C exotic world.

Lots of action movies could fairly be described as good dumb fun.

"Snowpiercer" is something different. It's really fun, and if you examine it too closely, "dumb" might be a word that works. Yet it's also smart, in a social-satire kind of way or maybe it's a political allegory or perhaps something different.

Whatever it is, Joon-ho Bong's first English-language film is a hoot.

It's set in the near-ish future, when an attempt to halt global warming has instead frozen the world solid. All life is extinguished, except for the humans aboard the "rattling ark," as they call it, a long train powered by the "eternal engine." It's the creation of Wilford (Ed Harris), who was considered mad when the Earth wasn't frozen; he is hailed now as a sort of messiah.

There's one problem with all this: The train is divided. Up front there are parties and food and dancing and luxury. In the back there is squalor, with everyone squeezed together like animals. They eat disgusting protein blocks, which is better than what they originally dined on. Occasionally armed soldiers snatch small children and drag them off to the front of the train.

Mason (Tilda Swinton, unrecognizable and hilariously sycophantic and evil) shows up to lecture, threaten and abuse those in the rear of the train about knowing and accepting their place in the system, all the while praising Wilford to the skies.

It's the type of situation that's ripe for revolt, and there have been a couple of attempted uprisings. Now it's time for another, led by Curtis (Chris Evans), one of the back-of-the-train residents (prisoners, more like). He's assisted by Edgar (Jamie Bell) and Tanya (Octavia Spencer), as well as the elder of the rag-tag bunch, Gilliam (John Hurt).

From there, it's not too complicated: Curtis and his band of rogues must fight their way to the front of the train. What's great about the film is how they get there. Each new car they enter is a new world, a universe of pleasures long denied the have-nots. (A nice, creepy touch: Those who have lived their entire lives on the train are called "train babies," never having stepped out of its doors.)

Along the way Curtis bribes the man who designed the security for the train (Kang-ho Song, outstanding) and his daughter (Ah-sung Ko) with a drug called Kronole to help. (Both are addicted.)

There is plenty of action, of course, but Bong is after something more. The film, based on the graphic novel "Le Transperceneige," is not the subtlest study of class distinction, but thanks to Bong's confidence and the terrific acting — just the right combination of over-the-top scenery chewing and genuine feeling — it's an effective one.

There are surprises and plenty of action. What's good about "Snowpiercer" is how they all blend together; each element informs the other. Now, it is true that the movie is a little far-fetched, but Bong has fun with that, too, like in a scene in which the train rounds a giant curve, allowing for good guys and bad guys to shoot at each other across the way.

Although there is plenty to think about here, it's best not to overthink it. Just hang on and enjoy the ride.

Review: 'Snowpiercer,' 4.5 stars

Director: Joon-ho Bong.

Cast: Chris Evans, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton.

Rating: R for violence, language and drug content.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: twitter.com/goodyk.