SNOWPIERCER

Netflix

The initial problem with this flawed TV adaptation of the Oscar-winning Bong Joon-ho’s (Parasite) dystopian 2013 film – about a train endlessly circumnavigating the globe and the class tensions within – is that it can’t compete with the original’s visual or narrative flair. Instead there’s an old-fashioned feel to this version, which was made for US channel TNT, particularly when compared with the sort of glossy productions we’re used to from Netflix. That said it is worth sticking with despite a slow beginning thanks largely to two compelling lead performances from Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connolly.

The latter plays Melanie Cavill, the train’s uber-competent hospitality director and official “voice”, and her tightly wound performance slowly relaxes to reveal conflicted ideals. The charismatic Diggs is a “tailie”, one of the starving group stuck at the tail of the train. He also happens to be a former detective, a skill that sees him moved out of steerage class following a murder on board. Best seen as pulpy fun rather than high-end drama, it eventually settles down into a pretty decent ride. The first two episodes land today, with the rest arriving weekly. Sarah Hughes

Head to head: Daveed Diggs and Jennifer Connolly star

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