A guy got to see “Snakes on a Plane,” the film that we’ve all been hyping due to its literal title and the fact that Samuel L. Jackson kicks ass. (It also doesn’t hurt that filmmakers listened to the blogs, encouraged us, and are said to have incorporated our wishes into the film. This is unlike most marketers who e-mail me all obvious asking for coverage, or network executives who try to block “proprietary” content from the web where they’re getting the best free advertising ever.)
The reviewer may have been influenced by his coveted status as the first guy who gets to comment on the film, but he seems totally believable to me and he has a good reputation on “Ain’t it Cool News,” which is a well-known movie review and industry news site.
He says that “Snakes on a Plane” is so good that it’s reminiscent of Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” It’s trashy fun that’s pulled off with style!
Of course “Snakes On A Plane” is ridiculous, but it’s also nonstop fun.
These filmmakers aren’t embarrassed to deliver everything exactly as promised. The only thing that will probably go unnoticed after the huge opening weekend grosses, as well as consternation from cinematic elitists, is that “Snakes On A Plane” is a much better movie than it has any right to be with such a crazy premise and ridiculous title.
“Snakes On A Plane” functions as both a competent thriller as well as a full-blown horror movie.
In some ways, the film shares a certain kinship with another movie set on a plane that I enjoyed: “Executive Decision,” which stretched credibility with great ingenuity in order to entertain.
Of course, that movie didn’t feature the unnerving slither quotient that gives this film its now legendary distinction.
Believe it or not, “Snakes On A Plane” shares an unexpected kinship with Hitchcock’s “The Birds,” a film that was also derided as absurd upon initial release, wherein natural everyday anxieties, such as flying, are sent off the charts by an unforeseen element being thrown into the mix.
It’s bad enough to be on a rough flight, but imagine the floor around you filled with as many snakes as Indiana Jones was forced to contend with.
Believe it or not, “Snakes On A Plane” actually doesn’t insult the audience. The director and screenwriters work hard to keep ratcheting up the suspense, both on the ground and in the air, and approach some of it with actual sophistication.
There’s actually some logic that comes into play throughout… and no one will be checking their watches during this movie. Like the venomous creatures that attack the passengers and crew… this movie is lean and mean.
Samuel L. Jackson is believable in a role which could otherwise seem over-the-top or beneath him. He says that line we’ve all been clamouring for, that was added after blogger behest.
It’s Snakes on a Motherf***ing Plane! They didn’t change the title of the film, and it’s closer to “The Birds” than “Anaconda.” I can’t wait to see it.
Some of the online community is sick of “Snakes on a Plane” already and says that it’s “so last month” and is bound to suck. It may have been a victim of its overpopularity and is experiencing a lull in buzz now that it’s been covered so thoroughly. It comes out August 18, 2006, and we’ll have to see how it does at the box office and if other reviewers agree that it really kicks ass.
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