Review of The Snowman (2017) by Kj P — 24 Oct 2017

When meshing multiple genres together, it can be quite the challenge to please fans of each, but it's been done very well in the past. With the right amount of effort put, multiple genre films can be some of the best out there. Whether you're talking about Gone Girl being a Crime/Thriller or Hot Fuzz being an Action/Comedy, genre crossovers can be a real joy to see on-screen. The Snowman is the most recent film to mix genres, delivering a Horror/Thriller vibe, with a very large portion falling into the Mystery category as well. Sadly, this movie feels hollow, empty, and unfinished. With such a stellar cast and crew working on this movie, there's no reason for a movie like this to be terrible, but let me just start by saying this is one of the worst films of the year. The Snowman fails as a piece of compelling storytelling, as well as doing anything new for its genre.

Starring Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, and Charlotte Gainsbourg, The Snowman follows detective Harry Hole as he investigates mysterious disappearances. Joined by detective Katrine Bratt, the two realize that the kidnapper/killer has been dismembering their victims and leaving traces in the form of snowmen. That's the simplest way to explain this film without spoiling or making it sound too ridiculous, because trust me, the twist and how the twist occurs is quite dumb in terms of storytelling. This film went through many issues when being filmed, but then why the major release? Quite honestly, this film deserved to be sent straight to home video, because everything from its clunky screenplay to its choppy editing felt off.

Your movie makes it into post-production and is now being made into the best possible version it can be (hopefully), so why is it that it still turns out to look like a two-hour trailer that breezes past crucial plot points? There are multiple occasions throughout the course of this film that sequences feel missing. Although certain reveals are easily spottable throughout the first two acts, the movie asks you to patiently wait until the final 15-20 minutes in order to really invest yourself in the plot twists. That would've been fine if the story kept you on the edge of your seat, but not much of anything is truly that interesting throughout the first two acts. Yes, the premise itself could've lent itself to an interesting film overall, but it was only the performances that kept me from wanting to leave the theatre.

I'm a huge fan of Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Ferguson. Although Ferguson hasn't really been all that present in the world of motion pictures for as long as Fassbender (at least in the mainstream spotlight), I find her work to be wonderful. Whether it's being a badass heroin in Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation or giving a devoted dramatic performance in the lukewarm The Girl on the Train, she has proven herself to have some range. Fassbender is pretty likable in everything he does, so that should come as no surprise, but I'm honestly only gushing over these two performers because the film itself doesn't have much to lend a compliment to. I found myself incredibly bored with its pacing and lack of an inciting incident to really get me invested.

In the end, there is a salvage score to keep the film's tone in line, a lot of the cinematography is well-done, and the performances seem to be devoted to their respective roles. That being said, the screenplay, along with the overall editing and final product, just doesn't match up to any of those aspects. The film feels like one long movie trailer for a ten-episode television series. The worst part is that you can see where the film could've been improved upon, which makes rewatching it impossible. There isn't a scenario in which I'll ever find myself recommending this movie to anyone. The Snowman is a neat idea that is stretched into a two-hour film that feels too long, while also feeling incomplete. A disappointing film to say the least.