Chris Nashawaty of '' Entertainment Weekly '' gave the piece an " A " rating , stating , " Snowpiercer sucks you into its strange , brave new world so completely , it leaves you with the all-too-rare sensation that you 've just witnessed something you 've never seen before ... and need to see again . " A. O. Scott wrote , in his review for '' The New York Times '' , " Planetary destruction and human extinction happen a half-dozen times every summer . It 's rarely this refreshing , though . " Andrew Pulver of '' The Guardian '' scored the film most positively , writing , " Snowpiercer works brilliantly , the sum of extremely disparate parts that adds up to cinematic excellence . " Joshua Rothkopf of '' Time Out New York '' scored the film five out of five stars , writing , " Sprung from a 1982 French graphic novel and bearing its era 's trickle-down tensions , Snowpiercer is a headlong rush into conceptual lunacy — but you 'll love it anyway . " Rothkopf praises Joon-ho , stating , " ... Bong grabs onto the grungy conventions of postapocalyptic adventure with relish . He serves up claustrophobic action scenes ( one largely shot in the dark ) and ominous , messianic overtones as the band of rebels makes its way forward . " Lou Lumenick of '' The New York Post '' gave the piece high acclaim , writing , " Do n't miss it — this is enormously fun visionary filmmaking , with a witty script and a great international cast . " He added , " The beautifully designed train is one of the most memorable in screen history ... " David Denby of '' The New Yorker '' spoke highly of the piece , stating it to be , " Violent , often absurd , but full of brilliant surprises , while Bong keeps the center of the action moving toward the front of the train , a considerable feat of camera placement , choreographed mayhem , and cohesive editing , " and praising Nekvasil 's production design , " Bong and Nekvasil , provide them with a series of sybaritic astonishments . " Clarence Tsui of '' The Hollywood Reporter '' wrote a highly positive review , commenting , " '' Snowpiercer '' is still an intellectually and artistically superior vehicle to many of the end-of-days futuristic action thrillers out there . " Speaking highly of Bong 's film-making , Tsui wrote , " Bong 's vivid depictions — aided by Ondřej Nekvasil 's production design , Hong Kyung-pyo 's cinematography and Steve M. Choe 's editing — are exceptional . " David Thomson of '' The New Republic '' remarked that " The most bracing and liberating thing about Joon-ho Bong 's Snowpiercer is not just its lyrical forward motion , but the exuberance with which the film revels in its plot predicament . " He furthers praises Nekvasil 's " progression of design set-pieces " and Tilda Swinton 's performance , saying " She is the life and soul of this riotous party , and you will be sad to see her disposed of , no matter that Mason 's ghastly manner has earned it . " Scott Foundas of '' Variety '' wrote , " An enormously ambitious , visually stunning and richly satisfying futuristic epic from the gifted Korean genre director Bong Joon-ho . " Foundas added that Beltrami 's original score was " among the generally impeccable craft contributions to the film . " James Rocchi of Film.com wrote that , " If the film has one element that never flags or falters , it 's Evans . " In May 2012 , Marco Beltrami was hired to compose the incidental music for '' Snowpiercer '' . In January 2013 , a song titled '' Yona Lights '' was released on the film 's official website in South Korea . On 12 July 2013 , during the 007 Fimucité at Tenerife International Film Music Festival in the Canary Islands , a few pieces of the three films composed by Beltrami ( '' Snowpiercer '' , '' Soul Surfer '' and '' The Wolverine '' ) were selected for the performance . The pieces played for the '' Snowpiercer '' part were " This is the Beginning , " " Go Ahead , " " Train Riot " and " Ec Yona "
Tenerife International Film Music Festival
Tenerife International Film Music Festival
Snowpiercer