The Snowman Review

"I think it's the falling snow that sets the killer off"


The Snowman was directed by Tomas Alfredson, and stars the likes of Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Furguson, Charlotte Gainsbourg, J.K Simmons, Toby Jones and James D'Arcy. The film follows detective Harry Hole (portrayed by Fassbender) as he investigates the disappearance of a women whose scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman. If you think snowmen look cute you might want to think again after seeing this film.

Before I start giving my opinion on the film, I just wanted to say that I had not read the original book; the film was based on before seeing the film, so my judgement will be on the film and not the material behind the film. When I first saw the trailer for The Snowman I was certainly intrigued, the film looked bleak, intense and a little creepy (with those snowmen!) and what looked to be a great cast, but after seeing the film I can only feel really disappointed with the film, but we will get on to that later on. Whilst I didn't enjoy the film as much as I wish I did there are certainly some good elements that hold the film together. The visuals and the use of cinematography to enhance the setting of the film was perfect, and it really helped to capture the bleak setting of the film, whilst giving audiences beautiful landscapes shots that are truly breathtaking to witness, whilst also enhancing and representing the characters situations within the setting of the film. I also have to give credit to the cast who all do a good job with the script they were given, but for me the performances could of been so much better with a more intense script (that is just my opinion anyway!).

Whilst the visuals look great and the murder case seems interesting and mysterious with the use of snowmen to hint at a potential crime scene (they really are creepy snowmen!), the films just feels unfinished and rushed allowing the film to lose the intensity that it could of had. Even the editing feels unfinished resulting in a structure that seems messy and allows the shots in sequences to just jump about, with no real flow between shots or naturalism when cut together. Whilst the mystery of the murders is interesting (and certainly creative), some of the situations just happened without any real explanation of how it happened or possible explanation with would of allowed an extra level of depth to the film, as we as the audience are trying to unpin every move the murder made. When we do get to the revel of whom the murderer is, it just feel underwhelming and the final confrontation is over so fast that it just feels like a waste of time. The film could of really have done with a longer run time and more emphasis on crafting a narrative that both keeps the audience guessing and engaged whilst actually caring about the characters on screen enough that we believe that they are truly in danger, and not just random throw away characters caught up in the murderers quest.

Overall I was really disappointed with this film. The film had so much potential and a great cast but overall was let down by an uninspiring script and a lack of intensity. I would have loved to of been sitting here recommending the film to everyone... but I can't do that as you will be disappointed with what you watch.

Verdict: 2 out of 5 stars