Snowpiercer (2013)

The last humans on Earth live on a train that laps the planet once a year, and nobody on board ever asks who’s handling track repairs. The final stretch also slows way down for a long talk that explains what you already figured out. Everything before that is terrific. Bong Joon Ho builds the train car by car, each one a new world, from the grimy tail to a cheerful classroom that gets scarier the longer it smiles. Tilda Swinton, in fake teeth and saucer-sized glasses, gives a speech about hats and shoes that’s equal parts hilarious and chilling. Chris Evans plays Curtis as a tired, haunted leader with zero swagger, the opposite of his day job. Song Kang-ho steals scenes just by looking unimpressed. It made only $4.56 million domestic against $86.8 million worldwide, and America should be a little embarrassed about that. An 8.5 because it’s a wild, angry ride with one car too many. $267 says the next time you’re stuck at the back of a long line, you start planning a march to the front.

What works: Every car is a new surprise, Swinton is gloriously awful, and Bong keeps the class war sharp and darkly funny.

What doesn’t: The final car stops the movie cold for a long explanation, and the train’s logic falls apart the second you poke it.

Who it’s for: Sci-fi fans who want a blockbuster with an actual argument in it and don’t mind things getting very strange.