If there’s one thing I should make clear here, if only for future reference, it’s that when it comes to opinion pieces – whether it be writing, reading or critiquing them – I am an amateur. As such, any opinions I give from now into the foreseeable future should be taken with a larger than normal grain of salt. That said, were I to give my opinion on the article I found today – “The Radical Politics of Sci-Fi Film Snowpiercer.” – based on the criteria provided, I’d say it’s fairly mediocre.
That’s not to say it fails on all counts. Overall, the article has a well-defined and clearly stated theme – the meaning behind the film’s political symbolism – flows incredibly well from point-to-point, and by extension, does a fair job at holding audience attention as its argument progresses. In particular, the writer crafts his words incredibly well to both suit and accentuate the theme of the article in a way which feels natural, as shown in the following quote:
“ At a certain level of privilege, the only difference between political approaches becomes one of semantics, the film argues. For the underprivileged, however, simply being able to survive is the ultimate struggle.” – “The Radical Politics of Sci-Fi Film Snowpiercer.”
With this said, the article also seems to fall short on a number of other elements. Though its arguments are well-thought out and reasoned, the majority of their information seems to come from reviews of the film. Though credible in regards to the film itself, the majority of said sources do not delve into the themes espoused in this article, while those that do, do not do so in great enough detail to propel the entirety of the writer’s argument. In addition to this, though the arguments – in spite of their lack of substantial evidence – are, again, quite solid, between the articles use of a simple straight and descriptive lead, and a kicker – be it the one atop the article itself or the one provided by its citation – of much the same nature, neither serves to enthrall or interest the reader in any outstanding or especially relevant way.
Overall, the article itself is beyond competent, strong in its reasoning and argument, but fall short in its structure and appeal to a wider audience.
Source: VanDerWerff, Emily Todd. “The Radical Politics of Sci-Fi Film Snowpiercer.” Vox, Vox, 7 July 2014, www.vox.com/2014/7/7/5875835/sci-fi-movie-snowpiercer-is-one-of-the-most-political-films-of-the.
Opinions & Critiques 