Movie Review: Snakes on a Plane

Release Date: August 18, 2006

Are you frickin’ kidding me?

Those were the first thoughts that popped into my head once the credits were rolling on the long awaited and highly over-hyped Snakes on a Plane. But it wasn’t an “Are you kidding me? This movie was terrible” as much as it was an “Are you kidding me? I can’t believe they actually made this movie. And to make it worse, I can’t believe I enjoyed it this much!”

In reality I didn’t pay my money to see a film about a South Pacific gangster who tries to off a potential witness by putting deadly snakes from all over the world on the plane upon which said witness is traveling to Los Angeles to put the aforementioned gangster in prison for murder. Nay, I paid my money to see one thing – Samuel L. Jackson fighting off poorly computer-generated snakes and spouting off one (maybe two) memorable bits of bad ass dialogue.

For my money though, we got at least three memorable quotes from Hollywood’s original BAMF, and that is worth it in and of itself! But Jackson isn’t the only notable character actor who shows up to add some value to this deviously enjoyable film. David Koechner, who is most recognizable from his performance as Champ Kind in Anchorman, plays the perverted and uninhibited co-pilot Rick. His addition to the movie proves to provide one of the more memorable lines; as he nurses a traumatic snake bite wound, he very matter-of-factly explains to Sam Jackson that if the snakes bite the wrong wire somewhere, the plane will be “going down faster than a Thai hooker.” Such dialogue can only be realized in a film that just doesn’t take itself that seriously, which is part what people will love about Snakes.

And speaking of the film not taking itself that seriously, that is probably a good thing — as there was a lot within the flick that just didn’t work. The violence, the gore and those slithery computer generated snakes would of course be the most off-putting aspect of this film. The frantic snake attack scenes were as gaudy as they were chaotic, with the filmmakers finding the most raunchy ways to kill off the majority of the plane’s passengers.

For example, there were two particularly over-the-top killings that included some biting in more intimate body parts; think of the most painful area a woman could be bitten above her waist and the most feared place for any man to have malicious events occur on his body and you will get the idea. Now that you have those visuals, you can easily imagine how this film keeps the audience writhing in their seats for almost the entire flight.

Article Author: Neil Miller

Neil Miller is a 23-year-old film critic who lives and works in Columbus, Ohio. He is a member of the Central Ohio Film Critics Association. His musings about the world of film (and other various topics) are on display at his blog, The Columbus Movie Guy. …

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