Universal Pictures | Release Date: October 20, 2017
4.0
USER SCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 131 Ratings
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Positive:
20
Mixed:
55
Negative:
56
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2
eagleeyevikingSep 22, 2018
The film labours on without any tension or coherence. While the cinematography and cast are excellent, the plots and subplots lose momentum.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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3
TheATeam7734Apr 12, 2018
The Snowman, despite having good cinematography and brilliant acting, is a mystery more confusing than interesting. The story, being adapted from the novel written by Jø Nesbo, is one that is good, but undermined by the film's lack ofThe Snowman, despite having good cinematography and brilliant acting, is a mystery more confusing than interesting. The story, being adapted from the novel written by Jø Nesbo, is one that is good, but undermined by the film's lack of connection to the source material, and sloppy editing. The poor work done by those in charge of the writing of the script, and the putting together of the scenes renders any good portions of the movie useless. Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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3
ErikTheCriticOct 8, 2018
The cinematography is fantastic, and that's about it. This movie was a slog from start to finish with merely buildup and no payoff, as well as sleazy acting throughout.
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
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1
McGillotineOct 20, 2017
Tomas Alfredson your movie sucks, and you should feel bad having made it. Now I have seen some awful films this year from Hollywood sh*t smears the likes of Tom Cruise's The Mummy to the autobiographical nonsense of All Eyez On Me but thereTomas Alfredson your movie sucks, and you should feel bad having made it. Now I have seen some awful films this year from Hollywood sh*t smears the likes of Tom Cruise's The Mummy to the autobiographical nonsense of All Eyez On Me but there is a whole new level of incompetence within The Snowman. Part of me doesn't want to give this film the pleasure of calling it the worst film yet this year as I don't really want the people from this film to feel as though they achieved something by having made this shotty film.

Acting in this film ranges from downright boring to borderline insanity. Now i have an ongoing theory that Michael Fassbender is playing himself in this film and not Harry Holt and the reason he got roped into this film was either as penance for Assassins's Creed or as a contractual obligation. Now Fassbender looks like crap in this film, half the time he looks like he is falling asleep and the other half of the film he is asleep from hitting the bottle or his pills. Halfway through the film I felt although I should be obligated to call a suicide hotline to make sure that Michael Fassbender is okay as the way that he moves around on screen screams 'I want it to end'. Val Kilmer also gives an unintentionally hilarious performance as a character whose name i cannot remember like 95% of the characters in this film. Nevertheless Val Kilmer I suppose preforms in this film, mabye? as a character who can barely utter a word as his teeth seem fused shut, drinks vodka out of a plastic drink bottle, and channels Billy Madison if he suffered a stroke and was clinicly depressed. It is honestly not worth mentioning any of the other performances in this film as surprisingly they only get worse. The plot of this film is so truely special so much so it deserves it's own category, it is not quite special needs and yet is still far beyond a vegetative state. Bad acting, pacing, editing, soundtrack, and direction aside the plot of this film makes no conceivable sense and is just plain lazy, it is almost like they had part of an idea for the first and last 5 minutes of the film and then sat down and said 'f*ck it, we'll wing the rest'. For a film that is a crime thriller, there is very little going on, there is no collection of evidence or any sense of the case progressing, and for half the movie we're left following J.K. Simmons character who has no connection the killer and nothing to do with the plot in the slightest. In summing up this movie has left me violently ill and i hope Tomas Alfredson reads this review to know that i am forwarding him the bill for my movie ticket, pain and suffering and ongoing psychiatric help. If you are mentally ill do not watch this movie, if you are not mentally ill do not watch this movie. I did not wish this film on the four other people who saw this film in a virtually empty theater and i do not wish this film on my worst enemy, In fact i personally advice not to watch this film at all.
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9 of 11 users found this helpful92
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0
Rebecca31Oct 20, 2017
We all know those people who’ve read the book before the movie comes out. They sit there and critique every tiny little detail. “Oh the book did this and that and it was so much better, read the book everyone because the film doesn’t do itWe all know those people who’ve read the book before the movie comes out. They sit there and critique every tiny little detail. “Oh the book did this and that and it was so much better, read the book everyone because the film doesn’t do it justice.” Well I’m going to turn into one of those people so brace yourselves. I’m a huge fan of Jo Nesbø, his books are in a league of their own. So naturally when I heard The Snowman was getting a movie adaptation I was delighted. Admittedly choosing the seventh book in the series to make into a film was strange but as it’s a hugely popular book I understand why they chose this one. I’ve been following it for years, looking at every set photo, poster, trailer and now on Friday October 13th 2017 it’s finally here. So Tomas Alfredson I’ve just got one question for you. Have you actually read The Snowman?

I’m gutted, I wanted more than anything for this to pull itself together into a great crime/thriller but it’s worse than I could have imagined. Michael Fassbender as Detective Harry Hole, Rebecca Ferguson as Katrine Bratt, great casting, based on a terrific book so someone please tell me how The Snowman got it so wrong? Oslo’s greatest detective investigating the gruesome murders by a serial killer calling himself The Snowman. Vastly underdeveloped characters with little to no chemistry between any of them. They’re simply showing up, saying their lines and going home again. Oh but don’t worry there are lots of pretty scenic shots accompanied by some nice piano music shoved in your face every five minutes. All pieced together by an absolute sorry excuse for an editor. Was this even edited by anyone? It’s honestly hard to tell. The pacing is all over the place, any attempt at building the tension failed. The story moves at an unbearably slow pace eventually the challenge isn’t figuring out who the killer is. No it’s fighting off sleep.

Who to blame for this? The writers? Director? All you had to do was follow the book, it was all there for you in black and white. Is it that hard? Seriously I want to know because it almost seems like you went out of your way to make this so bad. A poor imitation, a missed opportunity, a waste of time. A crime movie which certainly doesn’t deserve that title. No suspense, no atmosphere, nothing. I nearly fell asleep more than once so if you’re looking for something to watch over the weekend make sure to avoid The Snowman at all costs. I can’t think of a single thing I liked about it, beyond terrible so for that reason it deserves a 0/10.
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7 of 9 users found this helpful72
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2
EpicLadySpongeOct 20, 2017
A movie that fails to receive any connection to the bestselling book that adapted this film ten years later, The Snowman hardly relates itself to the mystery genre that the bestselling book had. Newcomers would become heavily disappointed notA movie that fails to receive any connection to the bestselling book that adapted this film ten years later, The Snowman hardly relates itself to the mystery genre that the bestselling book had. Newcomers would become heavily disappointed not to read the book first since this mess-holder will completely leave 100% of newcomers clueless on what the film attempts to follow. Expand
9 of 15 users found this helpful96
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0
marco34laOct 21, 2017
this film is basically a big mess. it's shot well, there's good performances, etc... except you never know or care what is going on. someone didn't connect the dots with this script or in the editing room. it's a shame because it looked andthis film is basically a big mess. it's shot well, there's good performances, etc... except you never know or care what is going on. someone didn't connect the dots with this script or in the editing room. it's a shame because it looked and felt like it could have been more. Expand
6 of 10 users found this helpful64
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2
ozymandias79Dec 23, 2017
This movie stole 2 hours of my life. I hope the book is better, a lot better. Not sure if there is a single Norwegian person in this film. They should have completely re-adapted it and moved the setting to Canada. The winter sports world cupThis movie stole 2 hours of my life. I hope the book is better, a lot better. Not sure if there is a single Norwegian person in this film. They should have completely re-adapted it and moved the setting to Canada. The winter sports world cup - who gives a crap. A super predicable, god-awful movie. Expand
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1
inaneswineNov 14, 2017
The Snowman could honestly be a contender for worst thriller of the year. It's dull, boring, confusingly plotted, drearily acted, lazily edited and poses more questions than it can ever be bothered to answer. Why are all the Norwegians in theThe Snowman could honestly be a contender for worst thriller of the year. It's dull, boring, confusingly plotted, drearily acted, lazily edited and poses more questions than it can ever be bothered to answer. Why are all the Norwegians in the film British? Why is it set in Oslo? Why does the killer use snowmen as a calling card? What is the purpose of J.K. Simmons character, other than to effectively walk on screen and pronounce, "And I'm J.K. Simmons"? Who are these women getting their pictures taken with a cameraphone? And finally, how could a film with such a strong ensemble cast and effective cinematography end up being such an unmitigated disaster? I know not one of the answers and, frankly, the time it took me to watch the film and write this review is about as much attention as I'm prepared to give this shoddy work. The most thrilling moment of the film was the end credits, as I could finally leave the cinema. Avoid like the plague. Expand
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3
MattBrady99Dec 1, 2017
ᴍɪꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴘᴏʟɪᴄᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ
ꜱᴀᴠᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ. ɪ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ
ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟᴜᴇꜱ ⛄️ "The Snowman" is the biggest disaster of a film in recent memory. With such a huge cast of great actors and a well experience director, who could've thought a movie would
ᴍɪꜱᴛᴇʀ ᴘᴏʟɪᴄᴇ. ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ
ꜱᴀᴠᴇᴅ ʜᴇʀ. ɪ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ
ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟᴜᴇꜱ
⛄️
"The Snowman" is the biggest disaster of a film in recent memory. With such a huge cast of great actors and a well experience director, who could've thought a movie would feel so incomplete and dull. The scenes where things are meant to be intense came off hilarious.

When the Popcorn Song is the killers own theme tune song and he literally dances to it; are we suppose to be disturbed by this? What is up with the derpy face snowman the killer leave behind as calling cards. It looks so **** goofy and not intimidating in slightest. Who thought a drawing that a 4-year old would make would be a good for a murderer?

Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Ferguson are decent, but we've seen better from them. Val Kilmer looks and sounds different, like his lines were dubbed over or something. JK Simmons literally has nothing to do with the main plot. The rest are just an after thought.

There's are bright spots within the snowy sh*t storm. The cinematography is gorgeous and you can see it being good movie if it was in the right hands. No bad performances from anyone.

Still, Fassbender needs to get an new agent.
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3
NBFCJan 23, 2018
I don't know what was scarier: seeing Jo Nesbo's thrilling Norwegian detective noir get shredded into an baffling incoherent mess or Val Kilmer's sagging face and his jarring ADR'd voice.

I'm not a book purist in the least, but this movie
I don't know what was scarier: seeing Jo Nesbo's thrilling Norwegian detective noir get shredded into an baffling incoherent mess or Val Kilmer's sagging face and his jarring ADR'd voice.

I'm not a book purist in the least, but this movie takes what was overall a pretty straightforward mystery tale and changes so much to the point that the story's connective tissue was completely eliminated.

It also didn't help that given the tight shooting schedule, supposedly a good 15% of the script was never shot and boy does it really show. Characters and story threads are brought up and dropped with little to no explanation.

What was the whole point of the Gert Rafto, Rakel Fauke and Arve Stop plot-line? As far as the movie is concerned, I don't know?

The movie couldn't even nail down the Harry Hole character. Michael Fassbender tries his best, but despite Hole supposedly being a "great detective", he barely does any throughout.

Heck, Rakel Fauke does most of the detective work here!!

So much of what happens in this movie turns out to be completely meaningless once this mess reaches it's lame, stupid, and rushed conclusion. Seriously....the move not only rushes the pay-off but it just cuts off!!

There are some gorgeous snow landscape and the music by Marco Beltrami should have been in a better movie.

Outside of those things however, this was just a waste of such a prestigious cast and crew.
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2
MahmusSep 25, 2020
This film is literally unfinished. According to the director, about 15% of the screenplay was not filmed, and it shows. The editors probably tried their best to turn this into a coherent film, but they definitely did not succeed. This is oneThis film is literally unfinished. According to the director, about 15% of the screenplay was not filmed, and it shows. The editors probably tried their best to turn this into a coherent film, but they definitely did not succeed. This is one of the worst edited movies I've seen.

I will say this however, this movie can be really **** funny. There were so many scenes where I was laughing my ass off.

When Harry Hole (yes, that's his name) sees the shape of a snowman drawn on the car roof, the completely random uses of Popcorn Song, when the camera moves around that random snowman to reveal that it's actually a "scary" snowman... comedy **** gold!
In that sense, I really enjoyed this terrible, awful, really not good movie.
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1
NjlloydNov 17, 2019
A dire film from very early on. Why are all these Norwegians talking in posh British accents??
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3
JamesDrawsThngsSep 11, 2020
Talk about a complete, choppy mess. The Snowman was a film I have always been curious about ever since its initial release, mostly due to how infamous it was and how even the director of the film commented on its incomplete nature. AfterTalk about a complete, choppy mess. The Snowman was a film I have always been curious about ever since its initial release, mostly due to how infamous it was and how even the director of the film commented on its incomplete nature. After giving it a watch myself, I can completely agree. This movie had lots of potential, but it is ultimately wasted by a plodding narrative, botched editing, characters and story arcs that end up amounting to nothing. The basic premise is that there’s a serial killer who goes after women, specifically women with marital issues and children, and the killer always builds a snowman near the scene of the crime acting like a calling card. Washed up detective Harry Hole (HA!) and his new partner Katrine are set to investigate these murders and catch the killer. To get at least a few positives out of the way, the casting is rather notable, and for the most part they do alright with the material given to them. There are even some moments of really great cinematography, with beautifully shot landscapes and lighting. Unfortunately, that’s where my positives end for the film, because Jesus Christ this movie is a mess. First off, the cinematography may be solid, but the editing is awful. Right from the start, the editing is incredibly choppy, with no sense of pacing. It’s an issue that is prevalent throughout much of the film, whether it be a basic passage of time or a chopped up flashback sequence. I would also like to give special mention to Val Kilmer’s inclusion in this film. He was sick around this time, and thus they had to ADR over his lines, and man does it look bad. The way the dialogue is being spoken not only doesn’t match Kilmer’s physical acting, but it also doesn’t sync well with his mouth movements. He doesn’t appear very long in the movie and just ultimately feels wasted. By far, though, the biggest problem with this film is its story and structure. It’s no secret that about 15% of the script wasn’t even filmed, and it shows. Most of the characters get very little development, plot points that seem like they are about to go somewhere have little to no resolution, and the movie itself ends in such and anti-climactic way that you are just left feeling unfulfilled and baffled by what you just watched. What could have been doesn’t change the fact that what we were given was such a mess, and I’d almost recommend the film for that alone. If you were looking for a far more affective thriller, just go watch something like Zodiac. Expand
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