Release Date: 17 August 2006 in Israel
Rated: Rated R for language, a scene of sexuality and drug use, and intense sequences of terror and violence.
Runtime: 105
Genres: Action, Thriller
Director: David R. Ellis, Lex Halaby
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Margulies, Nathan Phillips, Rachel Blanchard, Flex Alexander, Kenan Thompson
Snakes on a Plane, starring Samuel L. Jackson, generated a great deal of pre-release buzz and excitement. Bloggers played an active role in changing some of the film’s scenes and Samuel Jackson promoted the movie with unbridled enthusiasm on the talk show circuit. The clips, including the classic line, “I have had it with these m@#&@#*-f@#&@#*ing! snakes on this m@#&@#*-f@#&@#*!ing plane!” convinced me that Snakes on a Plane had all the makings of a cult classic.
Because I had a two-month-old baby at the time of its release, I had to wait for the DVD to come out before seeing it. I’m glad I didn’t pay $10 a ticket for it. Despite the hoopla and Samuel Jackson’s excitement, I found the movie incredibly cheesy. I expected it to be cheesy, in fact, I know it’s supposed to be. Unfortunately, the filmmakers didn’t take it the right level of cheesiness.
The movie opened with a young man witnessing a brutal murder in Hawaii. This opening scene led me to believe that there might actually be a plot to the movie – which was completely unexpected. Samuel Jackson plays an FBI agent who must get the witness to L.A. to testify. So far, so good. We have a plot, folks!
But once the plane takes off, all semblance of a plot falls apart. Hundreds of fake looking snakes come out of hiding and begin striking the passengers. Snakes biting crotches, snakes biting nipples, snakes biting eyeballs. Excuse me, fake snakes biting crotches, fake snakes biting nipples, fake snakes biting eyeballs.
Anyone who knows me, knows I am terrified of snakes. I fully expected to get the shivers watching this movie. Nope. No shivers. No nightmares. I also knew the movie would be tongue-in-cheek and fully expected to laugh out loud. Hardly a giggle.
Perhaps the buzz built up my expectations too much. I wish they would’ve used some real horror techniques to make the snakes truly scary. They were far too cheesy for me to buy into the premise and I’m an easy sell!
