top of page

The Snowman: An Unhelpful Review

Writer's picture: Amanda KelnerAmanda Kelner

Is it too late in the year to be watching a movie that takes place in a very cold climate? Absolutely not. The other night, I had an impromptu Netflix marathon, and I'm bringing my unhelpful reviews of that marathon to all of you.


Starting with The Snowman. This is one of those movies that's been on the top 10 list for a week or so now and I was mildly intrigued, enough so that it was the perfect movie choice for a Friday night with no plans.


Now, it's important to note that, unbeknownst to me, The Snowman came out in 2017. But you know what? I'm not here to create a polished and serious blog that draws on years of movie experience to bring you all high-brow reviews. I'm flying by the seat of my pants, and you're all coming with me.


So, I give you a review for a movie that's 6 years old and we're not including it on a Throwback Thursday post. You're welcome.


Briefly, and Without Spoilers

A haggard but gifted detective finds himself teaming up with a young and committed junior detective to solve the disappearance of several women in the generally sleepy country of Norway. Their investigation takes them down a dark path that forces them to confront their own demons as they close in on one of the most dangerous criminals of either of their careers.


Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, written by Jo Nesbø, The Snowman, directed by Thomas Alfredson, and written by Peter Straughan, Hossein Amini, and Søren Sveistrup, follows the harrowing hunt for a violent killer while also exploring the complexities of childhood trauma.


We'll Start with the Positives (Spoilers Ahead!!)

I'd like to start on a good note. I know that's already betraying my overall opinion of the movie, and we'll get there. But I did like a couple of things.


I think the initial idea of the partnership between Harry (Michael Fassbender) and Katrine (Rebecca Ferguson) was good. We start the investigation seeing that Harry has the expertise and Rebecca has the drive, and then as time goes on, they start to meet more and more in the middle.


Also the recording device introduced to the police force seems helpful, albeit very impractical.


And there's a short exchange between Harry and Mathias (Jonas Karlsson) in which Harry gets at the heart of Mathias's misplaced hatred toward his mother. It's a singular moment of connection that seems to get through to Mathias, just before he falls through the ice. I thought that was a good moment, in the acting and in how it was shot.


Speaking of, Norway is such a beautiful country to shoot in. I'm sure it's a nightmare to the actors, but all those landscape shots are just breathtaking. If you've never watched anything shot in Norway, go find something. Right now. But maybe not this movie.


Is Anyone Else Scratching Their Head?

Which brings me to some of the things I didn't like. The plot is a special kind of wonky and I don't really know where to begin.


Let's start with the mystery, because as we've established, the who-dun-it part of the story is the most important part of any mystery. So we must ask ourselves if it was any good.


I mean...no? I think the idea of the mystery was fine, albeit a little overdone. Man with disturbing childhood and shitty parents eventually goes on a woman-hating killing spree because men are incapable of blaming their shitty fathers for their shitty behavior and also the killer is closer than you think. Very par for the course with mysteries. Also genius detective is a drunk tortured soul but is just too damn good to reprimand for his inappropriate absences, followed by bright young junior detective with a secret vendetta ultimately becomes one of the killer's victims. That's the story. As a creative writer myself, I sometimes think these kinds of stories are off limits because they've been done so many times, but maybe I should join the club and write a bad mystery using all the standard tropes and just not care what people think.


I'm kidding.


But that was one of the bigger downsides of this movie. We've ultimately seen it all before. I even knew Mathias was the bad guy based on one of the first scenes he was in. This was all very much all the things we've seen before.


And yet somehow worse. I have so many questions. How many victims does Mathias actually have? Did Mathias kill Rafto (Val Kilmer)? Are we supposed to believe Arve (J. K. Simmons) killed Rafto and the woman he was having an affair with? Or was the woman killed by Mathias? Are they connected? How does Harry survive getting shot in the abdomen, walking back to the cabin, and then presumably needing to be driven to a hospital that looked like it was nowhere nearby? What women's clinic pulls in a cosmetic surgeon as a temporary fertility consultant simply because he's worked with hormone therapy in some capacity?


There are a lot of holes in the script. There are many people who don't like the explanations in a mystery, but this movie proves why they're so important. There's so much about the situation that feels unfinished.


All the Odds and Ends

There's also a lot that feels so unnecessary. All the flashbacks to Val Kilmer and Toby Jones weren't helpful and were very confusing. It took me a very long time to figure out they were flashbacks, the timeline is weird because Val Kilmer is suspended at the beginning but he's still working at the police department and also Toby Jones's role seems confusing and particularly unnecessary. Also, I'm guessing this movie was filmed early on in Kilmer's battle against throat cancer and couldn't speak well, so they decided to poorly dub him? Because that was somehow better than trying to work it into his character?


Honestly, the whole storyline with Arve was unnecessary. It introduced some conflict for Katrine, but then it didn't really go anywhere and it seemed to only serve as a distraction. I fully thought that would come full circle and then it just dropped off half way through.


Also, really with the police-partners-have-sexual-tension and ambitious-woman-gets-killed tropes? I'm over it. And the detectives didn't even have strong sexual tension. They're just hot and we think people want to see hot people make out. So that whole scene where Harry pins Katrine down and then eventually holds her and kisses her head was just so weird. And a call to HR.


Don't Bother

The Snowman has come back to Netflix and seems to be trending. I wouldn't fall for it. There are better movies out there. This is honestly just a sampling of the things that weren't great about it. I don't have the energy to get into all of it. Just find a better movie. Trust me.

0 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


Movie Reviews No One Asked for and Aren't Particularly Helpful

©2022 by Movie Reviews No One Asked for and Aren't Particularly Helpful. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page