6/12/2013

First Trailer for Bong Joon-ho's 'Snow Piercer' with Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton


Easily one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year, Bong Joon-ho's American debut Snow Piercer has largely been kept tucked away by The Weinstein Company ever since they picked up the rights last fall. That's usually a sign that ol' Harvey has major plans for it, usually including a deep awards season push, the type we rarely get for apocalyptic sci-fi films. With the first trailer now hitting the web, we're getting our best look at the star-studded, high concept film yet, and why Weinstein has so much confidence.

Chris Evans, Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Song Kang-ho, Octavia Spencer, Ewen Bremner, John Hurt, and Alison Pill lead the ambitious film's international ensemble. Based on the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, the story is set in a future in which the planet has been destroyed by a failed experiment to end global warming. Stuck in a perpetual winter, what remains of humanity travels around the world on a perpetually moving train, until a class system develops and war begins to brew amongst the downtrodden. There's perhaps more action than expected, but the gritty, realistic visuals coupled with the hot button issue of economic inequality could make this a solid counterpart to Neill Blomkamp's Elysium.

Snow Piercer opens this August in South Korea, but has yet to gain a U.S. date.