Many many thanks to WB for providing a copy of Snowpiercer: The Complete Second Season for the purpose of this review. My opinions are my own.
If you aren't familiar with Snowpiercer, it's basically a show about people on a train with no other place to go except where the track leads them.. because the world has become a frozen wasteland where death is automatic if they step out into the cold. It's not about what's going on outside of the train as much as what's going on in an even longer train now (over 1,034 cars long). That said, all aboard... because it's going down (let's review)!
Story: When it comes to Snowpiercer: The Complete Second Season... you will be happy to know that it starts off exactly where it left off, so if you saw season one... no need to worry about some time jump.
Snowpiercer had a change of the guard in season one... and Layton (played by Daveed Diggs) now runs the train, but with Big Alice now attached to them and the real Mr. Wilford standing up (see what I did there)... the war rages on to a deeper degree. The writers took an already interesting show and made it even more interesting. You'll be happy to know that more of the back story has been unlocked for select people and your jaw might drop when you find out who's connected to who on both sides.
Snowpiercer can be described as chess in my opinion, and it was once the tail of the train and some service car members vs Uptrain and certain members of the hospitality department. These people went to war with each other utilizing tactics that had everyone fighting for survival... and quite a few people died (duh of the day).
I know they came together as one train at that time, but it was only to an extent, and it wasn't like they were just going to forget what happened. Mr. Wilford (played by Sean Bean) quickly ripped the bandages off of any wounds they had, and the fighting was back on (for some)... as far as Snowpiercer goes. Big Alice has a lack of trust + resentment as far as some members of their side go also, but it's a bit more covert... so you get a good mix of soft hand and heavy-handed action. You will find that members in uptrain were already pro-Wilford based on the great lie from season one and that only aids in his influence. Mr. Wilford is a piece of work, you'll love to hate him as season two rolls on.
Luckily in this season... you do get a change of pace when a certain someone embarks outside the train for a potential future. I won't go any further as far as that goes... you'll see the rest for yourself, but it certainly gears you up for season three (in a bit of a WTF way... but it does).
Visuals: Visuals are nice and crisp in this show, and just like the first season they were able to pull off various shots for our enjoyment. Medium, medium closeups, and full shots were shown the most but they also had panning, aerial, etc. One of the best shots I saw was when a martial artist kicked someone and sent them flying through glass, the camera was slightly lower, and... it was an awesome way to capture the can of whoop-ass (and they cut it to make sure that the shot was captured accordingly).
Audio: The audio in this show was solid. Of course, you have the train sound in the background, but it wasn't overpowering... you knew you were inside and in what area based on how much you heard it or not. The sound engineer(s) knew what they were doing, down to the sound of boots on the floor of train cars, the poop being dumped into bins in compost, etc. It was done right and allowed for the experience to be enhanced. The audio is 1080p DTS-HD Master Audio.
Price: Pricewise, you can get your hands on Snowpiercer: The Complete Second Season... for $24.98 (on DVD) & $29.98 (on Blu-Ray + Digital). The price is worth the experience, and you may find yourself inviting others over to check it out.
Season two is served up in 10 exciting episodes on the railway.
Special Features:
- The Great Engineer: Bringing the Mysterious Mr. Wilford Aboard - Go behind-the-scenes with the cast for an in-depth exploration of the god-like Mr. Wilford as brought to life by Sean Bean.
- Season 2 Overview - An exciting and exclusive look at the second season with the cast.
- Behind The Character: Mr. Wilford - The cast discusses the mythical character of Mr. Wilford.
- Season 2 Roundtable - Take a seat with the cast and crew as they have a round table discussion about the show's characters and story.
- Daveed Diggs Season 1 Recap - The exciting first season of Snowpiercer is recapped through the POV of its main character Layton (Daveed Diggs).
