Chris Evans stars in a near future (the year is 2031) in which global warming has destroyed the earth, turning it into a swirling polar vortex uninhabitable for human kind. What remains of humanity has been ushered onto a kind of bullet train, miles long with thousands of residents, all of whom have been segregated and put in their "pre-ordained" places, with the abused working class citizens slogging away in the tail end, fed disgusting "protein bars" made out of bugs and insects, while the upper class slovens hang out in the various other cars, which are made up by spectacular sets that show us pools, saunas, greenhouses, nightclubs, and classrooms of indoctrinated children filled with bright, neon lights and wildly colorful costumes that make these elites seem like escapees from the Hunger Games universe. Evans is Curtis Everett, leader of an outcast group among the bottom-feeders who plan to rebel and make their way forward through the cars to the "sacred engine," which is where they can control the train and take back their lives from the oppressors. This kind of revolution has been tried and failed before, but with an obvious limited supply of weaponry in this environment, the soldiers who put down the workers may be close to finally being taken out of commission. Tilda Swinton plays Minister Mason, assistant to Mr. Wilford, the creator of the train and God-like figure in this universe, and in typical Tilda Swinton fashion, she goes all out with a nutty, bizarre and insanely campy performance that's as entertaining to watch as anything else on the screen, and that's saying a lot.
The visuals are striking in this film, and worth the price of admission alone. Joon-ho still appreciates the art of set design, as the creation of the train, with all its different cars is like walking into a new room in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory with every door Curtis manages to unlock. He does so with the help of gate opener Minsu (Kang-ho), an upper class citizen who's been drugged into a blissed out oblivion by the elites with his daughter Yona (Ko Ah-sung). The two actors help to blend the largely American cast with a South Korean perspective, but every actor who shows up gets a juicy bit part to play (watch out for Alison Pill and Ed Harris in particular, the latter of whom's Truman Show-esque role is just the latest in the actor's recent habit of playing parts that recall his most famous earlier performances). There is some CGI in this, seamlessly blended with the art direction to include absolutely breathtaking shots of a frozen and desolate planet that Wilford claims will kill anyone who sets foot on it, but will it really? There's some mystery that has to be solved in that question, but the plot twists are mostly secondary, and I don't even care if they make sense or not- the allegorical details get a little too messy and complicated to keep track of, as a lot of high minded science fiction does (this material was adapted from a French graphic novel). The movie itself is about the action, the set-up, and most of all, the train. It's a beautiful, thrilling and exciting experience that I guarantee you will be unlike any other action movie you'll pay to see this summer. So seek it out and give it a chance, if you're interested in something different. It may surprise you.
* * * 1/2
