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Director: David R. Ellis
Release Date: August 18th, 2006
Rating: R (for language, a scene of sexuality and drug use, and intense sequences of terror and violence.)
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 I haven't had this much fun in a movie theater since Freddy Vs Jason.
Snakes on a Plane has received a lot of Internet hype. It was a cult classic before it was even released. The name, the lines, and the fact that Samuel L Jackson is in the movie makes it a great conversation starter. Just telling people about the movie a few months ago was fun.
The plot is unique in the sense that it would never happen in a million years. A random kid witnesses a mob leader murder some helpless victim. On the witness's flight from Honolulu to Los Angeles, the mob leader attempts to have him killed by releasing hundreds of drugged snakes onto the plane.
Luckily, Samuel L Jackson is there as the kid's personal bodyguard. Jackson plays the same character he's played in Pulp Fiction, Shaft, and every other movie where he gets to yell M*THER F*CKER numerous times.
I know it's shocking, but this movie typecasted Samuel L Jackson!
The movie is violent. This isn't an Indiana Jones situation where someone falls into a pile of snakes without a scratch. The makers took the snake biting action to the extreme. This movie is certainly not for young kids or squeamish girls (although, I will be taking my wife to see it ASAP). These snakes are vicious and they don't just aim for the non-vitals. If you have some sort of phobia of snakes, then this film will probably send you into shock.
The biggest surprise is that the movie is about ten times better than I expected. I went in thinking the film just happened to be blessed with a great name, but don't judge this movie by its name.
Snakes on a Plane is cheesy, but it's amazingly cheesy. Most of it is predictable, the lines are canned, and the sub-plots are typical of any old action flick. All the characters, just like Samuel L Jackson, existed on some other movie set in the past. But there was not one second of this film where I wasn't entertained. And aren't people always complaining about movies not being entertaining?
I was not alone. The crowd was very into the movie. There was constant hooting and hollering at the screen. I think part of this was due to the theater being located in downtown Philly, but I've heard reports of the same response in other parts of the country. The viewers just couldn't control themselves and would laugh at loud at the ridiculous scenes and lines.
I believe we'll see some attempts from other movie companies to capture the kind of buzz created by Snakes on a Plane. The key thing to recognize is this movie will become a classic not just because of the name, but because it is fun.
If you see Snakes on a Plane after reading this review, go to it expecting good old cheesy fun and you'll get more than your money's worth.
Be sure and stay for the music video during the credits. It's entertaining as well.
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Related links:
Snakes on a Plane official website
Box office stats
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