Unless you have been living under a rock or have led some glamorous life us mere mortals have not yet tapped into, you have probably heard of the film Snakes on a Plane. This movie had months until its release but somehow it created such fodder for the internet addicted, that the legions of fan activity on message boards provoked the film makers to call for extra shooting to add in their suggestions.
A great deal of hype and press went into the machine that has tried to impress upon the masses that this movie is the next great cult classic. As a reviewer I tried to push past all of that and went into the film with a clean slate in hand.
A relatively mundane back story precedes the impending and outrageous snake premise. In Jack Johnson’s surfer version of Hawaii the audience is introduced to our protagonist, Sean Jones played by newcomer Nathan Phillips, taking a joyride. While on a break from the excursion the moviegoers not only see plenty of product placements ,but also that poor Sean is about to witness a murder by a high profile gang boss and his band of muscle. The next day the character of Nelville Flynn, portrayed by the notable Samuel L. Jackson, is there to save the day when Sean’s apartment is ambushed by the group of thugs. Flynn impresses upon Sean, through what can only be dubbed as a watered down version of any interrogation scene from Law and Order, that it is his duty to fly to Los Angeles and testify against the murderer.
The twosome later board the flight where Julianna Margulies’ character, flight attendant Claire Miller, plays Robin to Jackson’s Batman when it is discovered that snakes are placed on the plane to take down our eyewitness Sean. We all knew that was coming though, the title of the film is pretty self explanatory.
It is quite possible that one would not be disappointed if preposterous scenarios were what you were looking for; however, I cannot help but think that the reshoots were what provided the few quotable lines soon to be yelled out at a drunk filled bar near you. Granted I will not slight some of these scenes, the reaction from the crowd was pretty positive. Also, the comedic timing of Keenan Thompson’s secondary character, Troy, played well to Jackson’s straight man. In comparison, it seems as if the rest of the movie is completely separate from these additions.
Despite the unrealistic set up, I believe before the fans took the movie to a R-rated status that this film was striving to be as serious as it could at a PG-13 level.
The film is stuck between these two notions. It is not quite dramatic enough to be a genuine film, but it lacks the audacity to compete with actual cult classics such as any of the Evil Dead movies or Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Moreover, in all honesty Snakes on a Plane is certainly not a complete failure, but simply, it is not worth it to see this film in theaters.
I would have to say that in order for the movie to be enjoyed, it should be relegated to something you would watch on a Saturday night with a group of friends when there is nothing else to do. The side comments of your witty comrade might compensate for the patch work of the two different visions for the movie.
This film is rated-R for language, a scene of sexuality and drug use, and intense sequences of terror and violence by the MPAA.

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