Snowpiercer R
After a manmade disaster plunges Earth into an ice age, a small number of survivors climb aboard a perpetual motion, class-segregated train that repeatedly encircles the globe. The locomotive’s owner (Ed Harris) and a handful of the wealthy (including his enforcer played by Tilda Swinton) live an opulent lifestyle in the forward cars while most passengers are crammed into the final cars where they subsist on scraps. Tired of a bleak existence that includes regularly culling their numbers, the oppressed rally behind Curtis (Chris Evans), who takes advice from wizened Gilliam (John Hurt), and leads a charge to gain control of the engine and thus of the train. South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, best known for creature feature The Host, adapts a French comic book series for this, his breakthrough English-language production. (Lisa Miller)
Transformers: Age of Extinction PG-13
Struggling inventor and single dad Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) brings home an abandoned, rusty truck to his disapproving teen daughter (Nicola Peltz) and his treacherous assistant Lucas (T.J. Miller). After the vehicle reveals itself to be wounded Autobot leader Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), Yeager sets about fixing him up. Meanwhile, Lucas sneaks off to report Prime’s presence to those determined to wipe out the Autobots using manmade giant robots. Much of the action is set in Hong Kong, and fans will be gladdened by a host of robot confrontations, as well as director Michael Bay’s favorite: numerous huge explosions. With Shia LaBeouf out of the franchise, Wahlberg steps into the lead featured in this new trilogy, but improved CGI bots steal the show. (L.M.)
