Review of The Snowman (2017) by J C — 03 Apr 2018

Do you wanna build a snowman? Ok, bye...

THE SNOWMAN.

I really don't give a damn about Executive Producer jobs that are handed out in Hollywood to big names, degrading what a hard-working Executive Producer really does. It takes a very strategic mind to put together the financial makeup of a movie, but that's not what Scorsese or Spielberg do, they simply pull one of their many strings to get some money or some big name actor on board. I'm only saying this to warn you not to be misguided when you see a well-known name filling the seat of an Exec Producer in a trailer, as he normally doesn't have any creative input or involvement in its creative development. It's the cinematic equivalent of clickbait so just be aware. In actuality, talking about this topic is more exciting that talking about the movie, which is a mess of tone and structure. I has been 6 years since Tomas Alfredson made Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy so it's bizarre to watch a director making something that has none of the feel or consistency of his previous movie. What Tinker does so well is what Snowman fails exceptionally at: telling an intricate mystery in a way that is clear to the audience, in a way that every line of dialogue contributes to something greater than its individuality. It's exactly like building a snowman, it's about a fine balance between head, body and members, to hopefully construct solid enough to stand the test of time before a petty brat comes to kick it in the nards. Making The Snowman is like trying to stack drops of water on top of each other, there simply isn't a solid script or directorial vision to support it. And, although it has a great cinematography and plot, it's one of the most hollow films of the year, devoid of pretty much everything that makes a thriller work. When it comes to anthropomorphic frozen water movies, you should go watch Frosty the Snowman.