4 AUG. 21, 2006
Fun, Exciting and as Ridiculous at it sounds. By Joe Simmons
T
Daily Titan Copy Chief
he opening scene of the instant cult classic pans across a beautiful Hawaiian island, replete with bikiniclad beach bunnies and the Jack Johnson-inspired, feel-good track “Lovely Day” by Donavon Frankenreiter. This, of course, is playing to the fact that we’re all in the theater waiting to see snakes … on a plane. The story itself is pretty simple. Sean Jones (Nathan Phillips) witnesses the mob killing of a prominent prosecutor in Hawaii. The FBI, lead by Nelville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson), rescues him and takes him to Los Angeles to testify against the mobsters’ leader, Eddie Kim, Played by Byron Lawson. Kim’s henchmen booby-trap the plane to release hundreds of vicious, poisonous snakes while in flight. The entire movie refuses to take itself seriously, which is one of its greatest strengths. The entire plot is laid out within the first 15 minutes of the film, and it’s then that we’re seeing the namesake reptile carnage for the remaining run time. Speaking of the carnage – it is surprisingly fairly tame. The movie earns its R rating, however, the gore isn’t even a factor compared to, say, Hostel, or the most recent Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In fact, if it weren’t for the sheer volume of snake attack scenes, the movie’s violence would have likely warranted it’s original PG-13 rating.
By Nicole M. Smith Rachel Blanchard, from TV’s Clueless, co-stars in New Line Cinema’s Snakes on a Plane
This may turn off many hardcore b-movie fans who were expecting the kind of low-budget but realistic and hyperexcessive gore of movies like Dead Alive or Bad Taste. The rest of us can feel comfortable that we probably won’t get sick. Sprinkled among the snake attacks are some hilarious one-liners and quirky jokes. I found myself laughing out loud several times. From Samuel L. Jackson shouting the movie’s iconic line, “I’m tired of these motherf---ing snakes on a motherf---ing plane” to the over-the-top portrayal of Eddie Kim and his gun-happy mob, the movie plays upon its b-movie roots with a mix of glee and reverence. The cast, a motley crew of no names and b-list actors, with the exception of the inimitable Jackson, works well together. The characters are all typical horror and action stock; it would be a stretch to suggest that this is an actor’s movie. Still, it’s clear that a lot of thought went into the casting and writing. While the film never gets bogged down in overwrought drama or character development, the characters are all well-developed enough so audience members will likely find themselves rooting for their favorites and against the positioned enemies. Generally speaking, this is nothing that action movies should strive for. Yet, the movie’s funny, the action keeps moving and there aren’t any dead scenes.
