What could possibly be a more awesome combination than snakes, a plane and Samuel L. Jackson? Yeah, I’m having a hard time thinking of something too, don’t worry. This movie is so completely utterly awesome that words can’t even describe its greatness. Take what you love about “B” horror movies, give it a sizable budget and add an ex-jedi/mobster/basketball coach for an actor and you get “Snakes on a Plane.” This movie has it all: romantic affairs, cheesy lines and snakes, lots of snakes.
The plot is very basic. Some random kid witnesses a drug-lord murder, races off on his extreme dirt-bike and gets saved by Mr. Jackson himself. The kid agrees to testify and is flown out on the next flight to LAX from Hawaii. Of course the actual flight itself is where the real magic happens. By magic, I mean snakes and snake-related deaths, of course. The great thing about this movie, other than the ridiculous cheesy way it is shot, is it picks up right away.
Immediately we see the teenage boy witness the murder, get a brief interrogation, and moved onto a plane where the snakes waste no time to wreak havoc on the plane’s systems and passengers. From the uptight jerk who thinks he is more important than others, to the rap star who is trying to woo the blonde ditz with a dog that fits in her purse, to the single lady with a baby, there is just about every stereotype on this plane.
Another aspect that’s great about this movie is the snake’s point of view. While no kill shots are actually delivered during the snake’s point of view, it is rather amusing to see the snake get ready to strike, only to be thwarted by its victim unknowingly doing something just in the nick of time. While not all that important, the snake’s point of view is another nifty little extra in the movie that makes it all the more worthwhile.
This movie has been hyped up for over a year, making a name for itself even before a trailer was released. Parts were re-shot, scenes were added, the title was changed, then changed back, all due to internet fans blogging, posting on message boards, and just making an all around stink in general, which put the movie into cult classic status long before it was released. It was probably the best decision to make it an over-the-top, campy, cult classic film than to actually go with what they had originally planned, which was an actual serious scary horror flick.
When I say this is an awesome movie, you have to take into consideration what kind of movie this is. It is meant to be fun and nothing more. If you go in expecting a masterpiece, prepare to be severely disappointed. This movie will make you laugh, jump and realize why Samuel L. Jackson is the only guy you want wrestling reptiles at 15,000 feet.
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