Snowpiercer (2013)
I'll start with the cast - Chris Evans (Capt America) as our central character, Ed Harris and John Hurt as the primary figures leading the two factions, then a second tier of actors nearly all of whom you will recognize. So, you start with potential. Plot is that earth has gone into another ice age based on man's efforts to combat global warming and screwing it up. The only people alive on the planet are folks on a train that continiously circles the globe, making water from the snow it collects as it goes around the tracks. The train has cars dedicated to various functions needed for survival, but more importantly, it is set up in a class structure with the tail section full of vagrant deplorables who have revolted a few times but never succeeded in taking over the train. This time, Evans is leading the revolt, a reluctant leader in front of a rag tag group of vagrant-ish folks. They stop and break some Korean security expert out of the jail car to help them get through the doors from one car to the next, but the Korean (and his daughter) are addicts for the current drug de jour made from chemical explosives residue. Hurt is the kindly old man advising Evans and others in the back on survival, Harris is the antagonist who built and runs the train (though we only see him in the closing scenes). Most of the movie is about Evans discovering the slight elevation in class upon advancing to each new car section, interspersed with fight scenes and some on-train propaganda aimed at keeping the citizens under control.
The good - the cast, and some of the imagery (both in the cars, and with the train travelling a snow covered wasteland). The bad - no boobs, poor characters (you can see acting talent stifled or wasted in a lot of scenes), and the Korean who becomes pivotal in the closing scenes has a translating device that is rarely used (can't hear/understand it when it is used, and somehow he always understands everyone's english while only in the last scene does it appear Evans understands his Korean). The ugly - over the top caste system without a lot of explanation (upper class cars show 24/7 luxury and parties that can't possibly be sustained, tail section shown in poverty that is unwarranted given what else is on the train). Harris, in the closing scenes, trying to explain to Evans why the train runs the way it does for the survival of all, which really doesn't hold much water.
Really, I never heard of this in theaters despite the cast. It is apparent why - it sucks. Top to bottom, or should I say 'back of the train to the front' it thoroughly sucks. This isn't B quality, as the production is clearly A quality, but it just.isn't.good. 2/10.
PS - what powers the f'n train?!?!?!
