# Can "Snowpiercer" possibly not be as stupid as it sounds? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 27, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825 "2014-06-27T23:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/101 "2015-07-29T02:59:53Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Yeah, that definitely veered into “Asian Action Movie” territory. You’re on a train. Was there some reason to engage in useless firefight hundreds of yards apart on a moving train through bullet-resistant glass? I mean other than to waste all the ammo so you don’t bring your guns to the upcoming knife fight? Oh no, a plot fail, now you’ve ruined the movie for me. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/102 "2015-07-29T04:12:52Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > All I have learned from all the dystopian movies I have seen is that, it is the rich that hold society together. If they all head off somewhere and leave the rest of us behind we immediately become barbaric, violent, mindless savages. Seems we can’t get by without our wealthy overlords. That’s because rich people have both the capital and the control of distribution to make movies and get them distributed–and more importantly, not distribute “Red” SF. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2015, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/103 "2015-07-29T23:38:09Z")
> [@DingoelGringo](#): > > Yes, of course. It reminds me of a low budget film I saw in the 80’s where there was a train moving at 200 kilometers around the Equator of the moon. Never slowing and the feeder lines had to speed up to catch the train when the passengers got on and off. What movie was that? > [@Erdosain](#): > > Not that I want to defend this stinker, but I thought this was because the rebels were eating sushi out of the correct order. They showed up with guns so they gave them sushi no matter what time of year it was… Minister Mason specifically said sushi was only available in January & July, and they’d just crossed Yekaterina Bridge making it New Year’s Day; that was 1st sushi of the year they were eating. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/104 "2015-07-30T02:22:01Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > That’s because rich people have both the capital and the control of distribution to make movies and get them distributed–and more importantly, not distribute “Red” SF. Come on. Don’t you understand how difficult it is to keep these pathetic savages from killing each other? I’m so depressed I can barely enjoy my Kobe steak in luxury space station habitat. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/105 "2015-07-30T03:57:52Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Seven Samurai is an 8.8. I started watching it tonight. I got about an (half) hour in and I still have six or eight (three) hours to go! This may take a while. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/106 "2023-03-26T20:56:59Z")
Thanks to Showtime’s Free Preview week, I sat through a few minutes (far too many, actually) of this. I paid too much. Trying to make sense of What The Fuck I Just Saw, looked up this thread. Look, I don’t much care about allegories and metaphors, just want a movie that isn’t Nonsensical Old Bullshit. > [@Erdosain](#): > > Pure, unadulterated shit Accurate review, right here. ---
**Author:** ![dougrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2023, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/107 "2023-03-27T19:27:53Z")
I just watched the trailer from post #4. Looks stupid to me, but according to the youtube comments… this is the greatest movie EVER! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/108 "2023-03-28T14:41:34Z")
I agree with most of the praise and the criticism in this thread… and I really liked the movie. The hardest pill for me to swallow was the sequence of train cars and the stark differentiation between them. It felt like a video game where you go from zone to zone: ooh, it’s the desert zone! Now the forest zone! Now the nighttime zone! Now the volcano zone! (or following in the sci-fi tradition of mono-climate planets). That said, I didn’t find that this movie asked me to stretch my suspension of disbelief any more than a Marvel movie (or other sci-fi/superhero franchise du jour). ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/109 "2023-03-28T15:00:50Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > That said, I didn’t find that this movie asked me to stretch my suspension of disbelief any more than a Marvel movie (or other sci-fi/superhero franchise du jour). Yeah, “Everyone lives on a train” isn’t much more of a conceptual stretch than, “Every Klingon is a Warrior”. Sure, societies can’t actually function like that, but they can be useful to make a point via art. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/110 "2023-03-28T17:36:04Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > It felt like a video game where you go from zone to zone: ooh, it’s the desert zone! Now the forest zone! Now the nighttime zone! Now the volcano zone! (or following in the sci-fi tradition of mono-climate planets). I had the impression this was 100% the point, to look cool. It is not nuanced futurology. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/111 "2023-03-28T17:42:22Z")
You’ll be happy to know there’s also a [Snowpiercer TV series](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6156584/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0), 3 seasons so far and possibly a 4th. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/112 "2023-03-28T17:45:17Z")
Haven’t read other responses, I have a hard time reading right now. I will simply answer the OP’s question. No, it can not possibly be less stupid than it sounds. Interestingly it also can not be any stupider than it sounds, Hope I’m not hurting the feelings of anyone who for unexplainable reasons liked the concept in any way. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/113 "2023-03-28T17:49:42Z")
OP asked this 8 years ago. Timely. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/114 "2023-03-28T18:16:32Z")
Looks like someone just watched it. We all must do more to prevent that. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/115 "2023-03-28T18:37:33Z")
I loved it. Was it realistic? No, of course not. But criticism of stuff like this always amazes me. Was Jurassic Park realistic? 2001 Space Odyssey? The list is endless. The way to enjoy most Sci-fy is to give in to the conceit, and just enjoy it for what it is. It’s not a documentary. Different strokes, eh? ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/116 "2023-03-28T20:39:53Z")
I was an original reader of the thread, but didn’t have anything to say beyond what others had, and better. But since it’s back and won’t go away, I’ll throw my opinion in the ring. It’s an absurd premise, which in some ways works to make the equally, if not MORE absurd social values in the train more palatable. I’m so busy poking holes in the WTF of the premise that I’m slightly less flabbergasted by the premise of having the supplies to support the top without actually trying to remedy the world or train situation other than the classic ‘Sacrifice of the Innocents’ trope. > **[Powered by a Forsaken Child - TV Tropes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PoweredByAForsakenChild)** > > A piece of Applied Phlebotinum that doesn't work unless you pay a really ghastly price... or have someone else pay that price for you. Can have The Dark Side effect, as in being willing to pay the price can make you more evil. May be the result … That being said, it’s no better / worse than other ludicrous concepts of similar movies. Heck I love watching Equilibrium and it’s gun kata even though it makes just as little sense conceptually. So put me in the “it’s fine for it’s genre, but stupid by analysis” category. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/117 "2023-03-28T21:51:52Z")
I found the movie both silly and self-important, which is a combination that very rarely works. It didn’t work here. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/118 "2023-03-28T22:24:03Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > I loved it. Was it realistic? No, of course not. But criticism of stuff like this always amazes me. Was Jurassic Park realistic? 2001 Space Odyssey? The list is endless. > > The way to enjoy most Sci-fy is to give in to the conceit, and just enjoy it for what it is. It’s not a documentary. > > Different strokes, eh? My problem was compared to those movies mentioned they felt like documentaries in comparison. A made up movie world has to have some sort of internal logic that allows suspension of disbelief. This stupid movie isn’t well written enough for that. > [@Alessan](#): > > I found the movie both silly and self-important, which is a combination that very rarely works. It didn’t work here. Exactly right. I can easily enjoy a silly movie. ---
**Author:** ![HammerJoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@HammerJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HammerJoe)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/119 "2023-03-28T23:35:17Z")
Just wait till these folks start watching the show… ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2023, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-snowpiercer-possibly-not-be-as-stupid-as-it-sounds/691825/120 "2023-03-28T23:40:14Z")
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