Snakes on a Plane

David R. Ellis
2006

As the dust settles from opening weekend, it comes as a bit of a disappointment that this B movie concept inflated to juggernaut size thanks to an obscene amount of hype, didn't irrevocably change the face of cinema. It wasn't even really a 'quality' movie as camp-wary director David R. Ellis posed. Thankfully Ellis is completely full shit and SOAP is the best cheesy, campy, good-bad picture you're likely to see rake in the dough this year.

After witnessing the baseball bat murder of his father by an asian ganglord (check) an extreme sports enthusiast (check) agrees to testify under the protection of a no-nonsense, bad-assed FBI agent (check) hammed up wonderfully by Samuel L. Jackson. In an attempt to snuff the young witness ruthless Eddie Kim packs his Los Angeles bound plane with box after box of lethal viper, adder, and asp (check) upping the ante by driving them nuts with sexy smelling snake pheromone (check). At this point most people are pretty much either in or out.

Once loosed the snakes make a hell of an entrance by going straight for passenger genitals. From pissed-on dick snapping to a serpent-threesome fake breast nipple chomp the initial scares are played up splendidly for crowd reaction. Once every private part is accounted and encountered the film switches tone and turns the tide of adequately and ephemerally rendered CG snakes into an actual menace. Cornball stock characterizations (including, a doting rat-dog mother, a successful rap mogul and his entourage, two innocent white kids, a crass co-pilot, a chinese kickboxer, and a twinkle-toed male flight attendant) take over in their effort to stay alive.

In spite of the film's goofy/unique premise there's absolutely nothing new here. Its a familiar and highly comfortable string of comedy/aciton film tropes and for once it's actually a pleasure to see them. "Snakes on a Plane" will most likely be remembered as a novelty, but its a nice example of how Hollywood can have fun with genre, sit back and laugh at film conventions, and make money for a change.

Actually the film will probably be most remembered for a particularly lovely line of dialogue written specifically for Sam Jackson. Feel free to say it out loud.

Review by Brett A. Scieszka