Snakes on a Plane
4 starsDirected by David R. Ellis
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Margulies,?Nathan Phillips and Rachel Blanchard


Few movies have gained as much momentum from internet hype as Snakes on a Plane. Fan sites, blogs and a preemptive cult following convinced its creators to re-shoot scenes (for extra violence) and add dialogue (for extra use of a certain expletive by Samuel L. Jackson) to sate the demands of eager fans. What could have been a B-class horror movie snowballed into one of the most anticipated blockbusters of summer.

The plot-as suggested by the title-is fairly simple. A dirt-biking surfer dude witnesses something he shouldn't and is immediately ambushed by the goons of a kung-fu -crazy bad guy (who only very briefly graces the movie with his presence). Jackson's character, an FBI agent, swoops to the rescue and packs the witness off to Los Angeles on an airplane from Hawaii. Also onboard are a slew of hapless archetypical bystanders (the rap star, the foreign guy whom everyone hates and a ditzy blonde), whom the audience quickly realizes will be prime fodder for scenes to come.

Shortly into the flight, pheromone-frenzied snakes begin slithering out of the strangest of places (if you ever want to use a airplane restroom again, avoid this movie), causing all manner of mayhem. The next hour is a manic cycle of survival (complete with snake-eye vision as they approach their targets) with plenty of extremely quotable angry tirades from Jackson. Snakes doesn't dwell too deeply on individual characters, making it all the easier to enjoy the creative ways in which they meet their maker.

There are a few genuinely gross and a few genuinely hilarious moments, and the feeble attempts at fleshing out the movie (what ever happened to the bad guy?) are easily forgotten. Jackson dominates the screen, even if he does so with little more than his repuation for legendary one-liners. Snakes slows down toward the end, but finishes with its very own music video during the credits, a final testament to the film's already-immortal status.

Despite the absurd plot and progressively more ridiculous dialogue, everyone leaves Snakes with some kind of a smile on their face. It is a perfect piece of cult popcorn that will endure far longer than bigger and more critically acclaimed films. If more movies take a cue from Snakes and tell it like it is, theater-goers may never be disappointed again.

-Matthew Wright