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"You Gotta Have
Balls To Fly On This
Plane" |
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Directed by David R.
Ellis- Written by John
Heffernan, Sebastian
Guttierez
Starring Samuel L.
Jackson, Julianna
Margulies, Nathan
Phillips
Distributed by New Line -
2006 - 105mins - Rated R |
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Yes, I was part of the “Snakes on a Plane” hype. |
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I
visited message boards and web sites dedicated to it. I watched fan
trailers and music videos. I engaged in discussions about it with
friends. I tired to get enough signatures on a petition so my local
theatre would have a midnight screening (I failed). However, despite
my anticipation, I did not expect this movie to live up to any of this
hype.
Well…it does. “Snakes on a Plane” is everything I expected it to be
and nothing more. It’s violent, sexual, goofy and unashamedly trashy.
It could fit alongside movies with similar titles, such as “Attack of
the 50 Foot Woman” and “The Giant Gila Monster.” Samuel L. Jackson
does his whole “badass” routine and a lot of people die hideous
deaths. “Snakes on a Plane” should not be good and the hype should
have driven that home even further…but somehow, it manages to be a
decent movie. Somehow, even without the hype, I still think I would
have liked it.
I would briefly recount the plot to you, but the star and the title
tells you all that you need to know: the snakes are on the plane and
Sammy J. has to kick their asses.
It’s the simplicity that makes this movie so much fun. It never tries
to be anything brilliant or groundbreaking. It just has a bunch of
snakes attack a bunch of people. The people die gruesomely and the
snakes die gruesomely.
Still, there is a lot more here than I thought there would be. The
cast is surprisingly likable and many of the supporting roles were
genuinely fun. Even Kenan Thompson, who I remember fondly from my
childhood, pops up in a small, but important and funny, role. Director
David R. Ellis, most notable for the lousy “Final Destination 2” and
even lousier “Cellular,” actually does a really good job building
tension in the first thirty minutes and creates a real sense of terror
when the snakes attack. It’s not great direction, but it’s better than
it should be.
This is not a movie to see to “critique,” so I find myself at odds
with my film snob mind. This is a movie to see with friends. This is a
movie to laugh at, cheer with and genuinely interact with. Virtually
all of my friends said the infamous “I’m tired of these motherf-----g
snakes on this motherf-----g plane” along with Jackson. I can’t
believe I’m actually encouraging this…but you must truly get slightly
rowdy to dig this film completely.
Sam Jackson…let’s face, the man is cool. Without giving too much away,
let’s say that he kills a lot of snakes in a lot of cool ways. He IS
the movie. Kudos to Jackson playing his role with the proper amount of
badass absurdity that is expected.
And as I loudly proclaimed the moment the movie ended…
“SNAKES ON A PLANE!”
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© Written by Jacob Hall -
Email
Me! |
TC Candler's Comment
"S.O.A.P." is
every bit as underwhelming as you expect it to
be. The internet hype suggested that this
was going to be an enormous box office smash...
and yet it fizzled embarrassingly. I am
sorry to say it, but that fizzle coincides with
the film itself. This is a one-joke film
that isn't funny the first time, let alone the
hundredth. This is a one-scare film that
isn't scary the first time, let alone the
thousandth. This is a dire attempt even at
the lowly goal of cheesy schlock. "Snakes
on a Plane" is self-aware and truly inept in
everything it tries to accomplish. It is
the cinematic equivalent of a SOAP bubble...
shortlived... lightweight... destined to
burst... and stinging to the eyes.
Richard Propes' Comment
n/a
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