SNOWPIERCER: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON – A Blu-ray/DVD and Digital HD Review by John Strange
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-raytm I reviewed in this Blog Post. The opinions I share are my own.
Season one of Snowpiercer was a wild ride but season two makes it pale by comparison. The arrival of Big Alice, the supply train, with Mr. Wilford (Sean Bean) and Alexandra Cavill (Rowan Blanchard) throws a wrench into the revolution that Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs) and his people had worked so hard to win.
Wilford wields Alex like a weapon, setting her against her mother, Melanie Cavill (Jennifer Connelly). But then, he uses whoever he can find to do his dirty work, as he connives and contrives to win his way back into control of his creation, Snowpiercer.
He uses the already strained relations between the various groups to further his goals. The depths to which he will descend to create situations to further his goals know no limits! For a genius engineer, this man proves to have no scruples.
The battle for control of Snowpiercer is the main theme of the season as the various groups figure out who they support for the leadership of the train. This is a dark show that gets even darker with Wilford’s arrival. I have to warn those of you who are turned off by nudity, sadomasochism, and sex, you should NOT watch this show. It took a lot for me to get through these episodes.
The bonus extras provided for this offering are worth watching, especially since we are blessed with no “deleted scenes” or “gag reels”. The first of the featurettes is “The Great Engineer: Bringing the Mysterious Mr. Wilford Aboard”, a behind-the-scenes look at Mr. Wilford. Listening to the cast talking about the mysterious man who created the super train, we learn that he is a dark, evil, psychopath, with delusions of godhood, though Sean Bean is a shy, good man.
The next featurette is “Season 2 Overview” which played on TNT to get the audience ready for the new season and features the primary cast from season one. As an introduction to season two, it’s great, but not right when we have just watched the season it talks about.
In “Behind The Character: Mr. Wilford”, the cast discusses the mythical character of Mr. Wilford played by Sean Bean. He is described as sly, cunning, and charming, even charismatic until flashes of his true nature slip out from behind his façade. He is also described as being like Oz, the great and powerful, though like that man, he isn’t what he seems to be.
“Season 2 Roundtable” has the cast and crew around a round table discussing the show’s characters and story. Decent but it doesn’t bring out as much new information as I had hoped for.
Lastly, “Daveed Diggs Season 1 Recap” is a description of the first season of Snowpiercer, where the show is recapped through the point of view of its main character Andre Layton (Daveed Diggs). Honestly, this one really didn’t belong as part of the offering.
Overall, this batch of featurettes is not a bad selection of bonus extras to enhance the offering. I enjoyed them.
For the quality of the production, I would normally give this offering at least 4.5-stars. But some of the more graphic scenes were so difficult to watch that I am lowering the rating to 3.5-stars.
Created By:
- Bong Joon Ho
Executive Produced by:
- Graeme Manson, Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements, Matthew O’Connor, Christoph Schrewe Ben Rosenblatt, Scott Derrickson, and the original film’s producers, including Bong Joon Ho, Miky Lee, Jinnie Choi, Park Chan-wook, Lee Tae-hun, and Dooho Choi
Cast:
- Jennifer Connelly, Daveed Diggs, Sean Bean, Rowan Blanchard, Alison Wright, Mickey Sumner, Iddo Goldberg, Katie McGuinness, Lena Hall, Annalise Basso, Sam Otto, Roberto Urbina, Sheila Vand, Steven Ogg
Episodes:
- The Time of Two Engines
- Smolder to Life
- A Great Odyssey
- A Single Trade
- Keep Hope Alive
- Many Miles from Snowpiercer
- Our Answer for Everything
- The Eternal Engineer
- The Show Must Go On
- Into the White
Extras:
Blu-ray/DVD:
- 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 played by Sean Bean.
- 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).
Specifications:
Runtime:
Feature:
- 457 Minutes
Enhanced Content:
- 21 Minutes
Studio:
- Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.
Release Date:
- 11/09/2021
Region:
- A/1 (U.S. and Canada only)
MPAA Rating:
- TV-MA
Selig Rating:
Film Rating:
- 3.5 Stars
Bonus Features Rating:
- 4 Stars
Picture Quality Rating:
- 5 Stars
Audio Quality Rating:
- 5 Stars
Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars: Should add to your DVD collection at any cost
4 Stars: Worth owning, but try to catch it a sale
3 Stars: Plan to get it, but wait to buy it used
2 Stars: Worth taking a look at, but not owning
1 Star: Pick it up at a garage sale and use it for drinks
0 Stars: Makes a great Trap Shooting target
