The TV adaptation of Snowpiercer, a 2013 sci-fi movie by Bong Joon-ho which encountered lots of problems at production stages and delayed countless times is finally released. Aired on TNT in the US, the TV show is released on Netflix for the rest of the world.
Adapted from both Bong Joon-ho’s movie and French comic book Le Transperceneige, the story of Snowpiercer TV show is in the future where the entire world is under the ice as an experiment to prevent global warming turned into a disaster. The TV show is about the struggles of a group of people who managed to survive the disaster in a never-stopping train divided into classes.
Differences between Snowpiercer TV Show and Movie
The TV show is set in a world 7 years after the world is set under the ice.
Just like in the movie, there is a post-apocalyptic future where the world is covered under ice after an experiment failure in the TV show. But the TV show takes us to 7 years later while the movie is set 17 years later.
Although the first moment to step on the back of the train is showed at the beginning of the first episode. we learn that this journey started 6 years 9 months ago when the real story starts. Although the TV show is about what has happened before the movie, it does not tell the events before the movie. Instead, a different perspective is followed to start the story of the movie earlier.
Focuses on Different Characters
Although the characters at the center of the TV show have similar characteristics to the characters in the movies, they are entirely different individuals. Curtis who leads the rebellion in the movie is replaced by Andre Layton. Although the two characters have a similar mission in terms of the narrative, Curtis is a bit more severe character due to his dark past which distinguishes the two main characters. The side roles are not exactly the same even though they have similarities.
The Movie Has More International Passengers
While there are some important similarities between the characters in the movie and the TV show, the passengers in the TV show are not as international as the movie. Nam, who is one of the main characters in the movie, is played by South Korean actor Kang-ho Song and he speaks in Korean throughout the movie. They use a device that can translate simultaneously to communicate with other people on the train. Having such a device in the train for individuals speaking different languages to communicate makes us think that the characters in the train are from all around the world and from different nations. Based on the first two episodes, we can say that the characters in the TV show are more American.
Stronger Ties with The World Before the Disaster
Since the TV show tells the story 7 years later than the disaster rather than 17 causes stronger ties with the world before the disaster. While the machinist in the locomotives uses old satellites to control the path, we can see that Andre Layton and other characters are not able to break the bond with their previous lives. When Layton meets his ex-wife on the train, he remembers the days before the disaster.
While it is impossible to focus on other things that struggle for life in the movie, the remnants of the old world in the TV show distances us from this struggle. This causes a lack of an impressive atmosphere in the movie.
No Children Is Born in Tail Section for The Last Five Years
One of the most important changes in the TV show is reflected by a dialogue in the first section. While the people in the tail section talk about why they should start a rebellion, they say that the management sterilized them and no children are born in the tail section for the last five years. This lays the foundation of a problem that can be handled in the following episodes.
More Care for Human Life
Even though the train management sterilizes the people in the tail section to control the population, the population control is not sustained by massacre like they do in the movie. From the first two episodes, we can see that TV show cares more about human life. While the people in the front or the tail are easily killed in the movie, problems to wake up the people in the prison section in the TV show is regarded as a real problem. While the front wagon lives in luxury, they are uncomfortable about the slightest rumors of danger. The train management works hard to eliminate such discomfort. The characters such as the teacher firing at Curtis and his friends in front of the children in the front wagon to suppress the rebellion has no place in the world of the TV show.
Rebellion of Sevens
Although the TV show significantly changes the storyline as the events happen 10 years earlier, there is a reference to an event in the movie. Layton says they attempted a rebellion in the 3rd year but they weren’t able to move forward and lots of people died. There is also a rebellion in the 3rd year in the movie. This is called the Rebellion of Sevens in the movie which says that seven passengers in the 3rd year managed to escape from the train but froze to death after a few meters. Although the TV show refers to a similar rebellion, what has happened changes significantly.
Rebellion in The TV Show Is Not Guided by The Secret Messages from the Management
One of the most important surprises of the movie was that the entire rebellion was organized by train management. Curtis receives secret messages throughout the movie and these messages help him to move forward between the wagons These messages from Mr. Wilfred plays a key role in the rebellion to spread.
Although the steps for a similar rebellion are taken in the TV show, the secret messages from the management do not play any role. Instead, Layton collects information about the front wagons and try to give this information to the tail section.
Detective Genre
Lots of changes are made to adapt the 2-hour movie into a TV show. These changes are not only limited to the storyline. They also reflect the structure and genre of the TV show. The movie is an action movie that entirely focuses on rebellion. But the TV show is more like a detective show. Layton, a former homicide detective follows the clues to solve the serial murders on the train. This mystery since the first two episodes will probably play an important role in the storyline.
Outside Is Not Livable
Since the TV show tells the story 10 years earlier, the outside world is different. At the end of the movie, we saw that the outer world was going back to normal and it was possible to live outside the train. In the TV show, the outer world brings death if you spend a few seconds. We can see this clearly when the cattle froze to death in the second episode.
“Bay Wilfred”
The most important difference between Snowpiercer movie and TV show is in Mr. Wilfred character. In the movie, Wilfred is an old engineer played by Ed Harris. In the TV show, we learn that Mr. Wilfred is actually Melanie Cavill played by Jennifer Connelly. The TV show not only changes the gender of the characters but also his position on the train and his attitudes towards other people.
Wilfred emerges as almost like a Godly figure. He is a relentless God figure who can approve the massacre of thousands of people just to follow his plans.
In the TV show, Mr. Wilfred is someone who keeps everything under control. But this is an entirely fictional persona. Melanie who is actually “Mr. Wilfred” is not relentless or separated from others. She is a leader who cares about what happens on the train and cares about human life at least for the first two episodes.
