Snowpiercer (*****)

Snowpiercer is without a doubt one of the more stunning films of the year. I found myself drawn to its story and compelled in a way I rarely experience while watching a film. With a small release earlier in 2014 and a quiet jump to Netflix this past month, this little-seen action flick is something that will reinvigorate your sense of "movie magic."

The film falls into a few genres, incorporating each and becoming something a little bit more. It's the near future, and the world has been destroyed by man in attempts to solve global warming. In a truly post-apocalyptic setting, the population is whittled down to a small collection of humans riding the Snowpiercer. This train, over a mile long, journeys through the world and makes a full trip every year. The cars are divided into a caste system - wealthy in the front and going down from there.

The back sees the most horrific settings, as the poor live in tight quarters and are given black, gelatinous cubes as a source of protein. They stage a coup. Working their way from one car to the next, a small group of men and women plan to work their way to the front car and gain control of the engine. Perpetually-running and helmed by a mysterious man named Wilford (who also owned the company that first created the train), the journey through the train becomes something of a march to meet God... Or perhaps more appropriately: a futuristic Dante's Inferno that descends deeper and deeper through rings of corruption.

The rebellion is led by Curtis (Chris Evans), a stern figure who oftentimes becomes narrow-minded in his self-appointed quest. He is joined by Gilliam (John Hurt), one of the more elder passengers who has lost all but one of his limbs to injury and punishment. Edgar (Jamie Bell) is a young second-in-command who seems to have hope for the future when it's clear to us that it's all but impossible.

On the reverse side is Mason, a cantankerous creation of a Yorkshire woman played by Tilda Swinton. She speaks on behalf of Wilford to the back of the train, and through violence and a flair for the absurd, she jumps from the screen as one of the film's highlights. She leads the soldiers helmed with restoring order to the train, and yet her allegiance seems to go with the wind.

There is a lot of beauty in this film, even though it is sprinkled with some very graphic and bloody moments. The train itself is a wonder of art direction. From the back to the very front, we see civilization summed up into such a wide variety of rooms, but all contained to the standard dimensions of a train. For a story with such a claustrophobic sensibility, the visuals never lose our interest. The cinematography, too, finds a perfect balance of intimate and action. We fear for what is to be found at every door, and every sliver of light through a window or crack serves as a reality for the darkness these people find themselves in.

Sometimes movies surprise me. I begin with lower expectations and conclude feeling a rush of emotion. Like "Drive" or "2001," Snowpiercer follows in mighty company. A grand film that is a surefire classic in the waiting.

(Awards potential: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Swinton), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Makeup, Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing)