The premiere episode for TNT’s highly touted sci-fi drama Snowpiercer should have been, pun very much intended, a complete trainwreck.
Think about it for a second. An episodic adaptation of Bong Joon-ho‘s cult classic about the last remnants of humanity engaged in violent social warfare. A film that is unflinching its violence, and uncompromising, and that, despite its cult classic status, isn’t exactly a household name. Oh, and it’s going to air on TNT?
This should’ve been an absolute disaster of a premiere.
Yet, the Snowpiercer premiere was anything but a disaster. The episode did flinch at the concepts of gritty violence, nor did it back down from the social messaging of the film either. The premiere was an engrossing story bolstered by explosions of bloody violence, and captivating performances.
If you’ve never seen the original film before, the series immediately hooks you with its wild premise. This was the case for me, but after viewing the original film, there are some notable and sizable changes to the source material. Chris Evans’ tortured revolutionary Curtis is replaced by Daveed Diggs’ equally tortured former Detroit homicide detective Andre Layton. Tilda Swinton’s comedically toothy and oft-bumbling Mason is replaced by Jennifer Connelly’s eerily genial and slick Melanie Cavill. The main plot of “tail”passengers killing their way through the train cars has been replaced. While the premiere does have multiple scenes of the car-to-car warfare, but it’s back-burnered for a homicide plot where Layton will be gathering intelligence for the revolution while trying to solve the murder.
The changes are an interesting subject. Given the episodic nature of the series it makes sense to flesh the characters out more, particularly “the voice of the train.” Swinton’s Mason was more of an allegorical character, representing the deplorable nature of those in the front of the train living in blind ignorance and arrogance. Connelly’s character is imbued with humanity, and this definitely lends some sympathy towards her. Will that initial sympathy ultimately be used as a way to emphasize her cruelty later in the series? We’ll see. Diggs is brilliant as the tortured but determined man who is playing both cop and revolutionary. Like Evans before him, Diggs is the dramatic straw that stirs the drink of the plot, and is an undeniable charismatic force that commands your attention.
This makes for an interesting debate, though. Could this series have worked as a straight-up remake with the revolution violently happening from car to car? It absolutely could’ve, and Diggs and Connelly would’ve still be great in their roles. However, given the violent nature of these car battles (particularly the famed “black out” fight scene), it’d be hard to see that making the cut on TNT as opposed to HBO or Netflix.
The murder plot is much easier to stretch out not amongst the first season, but it allows room for complications and plot evolution to give the series more than one season. The plot is also more digestible for an episodic series, as opposed to car-to-car warfare. One could argue this waters down the the soul of the source material, and I wouldn’t necessarily disagree with this take. However, the direction the series takes isn’t a bad avenue to take, and the reason it works in the premiere is primarily the interaction between Diggs and Connelly (and to an extent Mike O’Malley).
Snowpiercer, based on the premiere alone, is an intense and intriguing series. If you’ve never seen the film it’s something you can easily sink your teeth into and enjoy. If you’ve seen the film, the changes (in my opinion) don’t dumb anything down, and you can find a lot to enjoy, particularly with Daveed Diggs in the lead role. With a dearth of intelligent, engaging television on regular cable in the late spring/early summer months, Snowpiercer could become a destination on Sunday nights.
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