Before making Oscar history with Parasite, KoreanSnowpiercer.
The film is set on a perpetually moving train that holds the last of human civilization after the Earth became an inhospitable frozen wasteland. Bong Joon-ho creates a fascinating and thrilling story with timely social commentary to go along with the stunning action sequences. Despite the originality of the film, there are more great movies that also touch on similar themes and stories. Here are some movies to check out if you love Snowpiercer.
Updated on October 3rd, 2020 by Mark Birrell: With Bong Joon-ho's much-deserved ascendency to mainstream superstardom as a director only continuing since the Oscar-winning success of Parasite, now is a great time to add a further 5 examples to our list of movies that Snowpiercer fans should check out.
Die Hard (1988)
John McTiernan's action classic remains one of the greatest examples of the genre and of how a simple plot in a relatively small and restrictive space can produce epic and sprawling results.
The plot follows Bruce Willis' everyman New York cop as he's caught out of his element, and without his shoes, at a party in his estranged wife's highrise office building when Alan Rickman's delightfully dastardly villain crashes the party to rob the place. Die Hard may work on a vertical axis, as opposed to Snowpiercer's horizontal one, but the two still act as masterclasses in how to structure a liner action narrative.
The Matrix (1999)
In of weird sci-fi action movies about fighting structural oppression, Snowpiercer is one of the few entries into the genre to live up to the incredibly high standard set by the original Matrix.
Laurence Fishburne's resistance leader attempts to train him to shatter the order of their dystopian world.
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
Robert Rodriguez directed this adaptation of Yukito Kishiro's manga series from co-producer/co-writer James Cameron and, though it's often discussed due to its box office shortcomings in relation to its huge ambitions, the movie has earned quite a devout fanbase.
The story follows the titular cyborg who is reborn into a divided world of lower, earthbound workers who are exploited and toyed with by a floating city of technologically advanced masters. As she begins to rediscover her memories of her past life, Alita comes to with her place as a rebellious warrior.
The Maze Runner (2014)
Adapted from James Dashner's young adult novel of the same name, The Maze Runner finds a group of amnesiac kids trapped within a gargantuan mechanical maze filled with deadly traps and even deadlier monsters.
Like a more optimistic version of 'Lord of the Flies,' the prisoners work together to build their own society and find a way to escape the cruel overlords that placed them in their horrific situation.
Elysium (2013)
Social commentary abounds, as do the wildly inventive sci-fi concepts and designs, in writer/director Neill Blomkamp's followup to his smash hit debut in the genre.
Matt Damon plays a downtrodden worker in a dystopian future world where the wealthiest in society have totally detached themselves from the overpopulated and overpolluted Earth to live in heavenly isolation on the eponymous space station Elysium. When handed an impending death sentence by unsafe working conditions, he makes the choice to in on a daring robbery that can get him a coveted ticket to Elysium to use their hoarded healing technology. It turns out, however, that he has the power to save more people than just himself.
Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon-ho's filmography is incredibly varied, with him branching out new and fascinating ways for each film. However, it is easy to see similar themes between Snowpiercer and his latest masterpiece, Parasite.
Like the way the train in Snowpiercer is divided into class systems, Parasite explores the differences between the haves and the have-nots. The Korean film follows a struggling lower-class family who attempts to infiltrate a wealthy family in order to achieve a better life. The filmmaking, acting, and commentary are all superb in this instant classic.
V For Vendetta (2005)
Snowpiercer is in fact based on a graphic novel, and the film maintains some of that feeling. It is a stylized action film yet one that deals with intense political themes, such as fighting against the corrupt people who hold all the power and realizing the harsh truth of your own reality.
V for Vendetta is another adaptation of a graphic novel that deals with similar elements. Set in a dystopian future, Natalie Portman stars as a young woman who forms a bond with a masked vigilante who seeks to expose their oppressive government and ignite a revolution.
Gattaca (1997)
Though set in the future, Snowpiercer's story of class division feels very related to the modern world. That is the sign of good science-fiction, and it is something that the film Gattaca also pulls off with a similar story.
Though Gattaca is set in a utopian society, it is one in which those who are deemed perfect specimens are given all the privilege while the imperfect people are given less. Ethan Hawke stars as a member of the lower class who attempts to trade lives with a member of the higher class (Jude Law).
The Raid (2011)
Aside from all the complex and layered commentary, Snowpiercer is also a straight-forward and intense action film. Chris Evans leads the lower-class engers on the train in a rebellion as they make their way through the locomotive, fighting off enemies at every moment.
The story is pretty similar to the excellent action film The Raid, which follows an elite group of police officers who must fight their way through a building filled with bad guys. Both movies take a simple premise and turn it into a non-stop, pulse-pounding adventure.
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (2011)
There is something so entertaining about seeing mistreated people rise up and take back their power. Seeing Chris Evans and the others fight their way through the train is an easy emotional journey to get on board with. Rise of the Planet of the Apes has the same thrill of ri, yet it remarkably makes you cheer against the humans.
The first installment in the prequel series finds Andy Serkis' Caesar realizing his species' poor standing in the world, and organizing a revolution. It makes for a surprisingly entertaining and clever action-adventure with some ground-breaking special effects.
