Snakes on a Plane (2006) from Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)

I have to admit that I don't always understand the deepest levels of meaning of very profound films like Hiroshima, Mon Amour or Snakes on a Plane. Nobody can hope to dig through all those layers of meaning. But I think I might get the gist of this one. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't that believe Mr. Samuel L Jackson is entirely satisfied with the presence of certain colorful and poisonous reptiles on his jetliner.

And isn't that a metaphor for all of our lives? Viewing our brief presence within eternity as a plane ride, and viewing each of our tribulations as a poisonous reptile contained within the plane's cargo hold on that symbolic journey, isn't the true purpose of our existence to make the best effort we can to get those motherfucking snakes off our motherfucking plane? Compared to Samuel L, I don't believe Aristotle himself could have summed up the meaning of life any better.

And certainly not more concisely.

All kidding aside, Snakes on a Plane is actually an entertaining movie. It manages to function simultaneously as a parody of disaster films and as a disaster film with legitimate thrills of its own. There are plenty of moments played for cheap schtick, and even the thrills are deliberately exaggerated for a comic effect, but the battle against the snakes is more than just high camp - there are several scenes which produce nail-biting suspense if you accept the film in the moment. The scene where Samuel L blows out the windows of the plane is a helluva good action scene, if a bit preposterous when you think about it too much.

There are plenty of laughs in the film, ranging from outright farce to subtle references to other airplane disaster movies. There are also get some decent action scenes and some creepy scares as well. Best of all, it never gets boring and repetitious. It's like riding on Disney's Haunted Mansion ride, but at the speed of Space Mountain. And, let's face it, nobody does this kind of over-the-top semi-comic action like the great Samuel L.

I do have to warn you, though, that the IMDb ratings of this film plummet as the age of the raters increases.

On the other hand, even 6.0 is not such a bad score and, although I'm nearly sixty and expected to hate the film, I found it to be a lot of silly fun!
 

DVD INFO

 

  • Commentary by: director David Ellis, Samuel L. Jackson and more
  • 10 deleted scenes
  • "Snakes on a Video" Cobra Starship, includes music
  • Featurettes: "Pure Venom: Making of Snakes on a Plane," "Snakes on a Blog," "Meet the Reptiles," "VFX"

 

NUDITY REPORT

Samantha McLeod shows her breasts when she attempts to join the mile high club. Unfortunately, her giant chest makes a tantalizing target for a deadly snake!

The Critics Vote ...

 

The People Vote ...

  • Box Office Mojo. It grossed $34 million. It was considered a major disappointment at the time. The studio pushed it through nearly 3600 theaters, but it opened with only $13 million in late summer - compared to an expectation of around $30 million, and it then dropped faster than average (55% and 60% in the two succeeding weeks).
The meaning of the IMDb score: 7.5 usually indicates a level of excellence equivalent to about three and a half stars from the critics. 6.0 usually indicates lukewarm watchability, comparable to approximately two and a half stars from the critics. The fives are generally not worthwhile unless they are really your kind of material, equivalent to about a two star rating from the critics, or a C- from our system. Films rated below five are generally awful even if you like that kind of film - this score is roughly equivalent to one and a half stars from the critics or a D on our scale. (Possibly even less, depending on just how far below five the rating is.

Our own guideline:

  • A means the movie is so good it will appeal to you even if you hate the genre.
  • B means the movie is not good enough to win you over if you hate the genre, but is good enough to do so if you have an open mind about this type of film. Any film rated B- or better is recommended for just about anyone. In order to rate at least a B-, a film should be both a critical and commercial success. Exceptions: (1) We will occasionally rate a film B- with good popular acceptance and bad reviews, if we believe the critics have severely underrated a film. (2) We may also assign a B- or better to a well-reviewed film which did not do well at the box office if we feel that the fault lay in the marketing of the film, and that the film might have been a hit if people had known about it. (Like, for example, The Waterdance.)
  • C+ means it has no crossover appeal, but will be considered excellent by people who enjoy this kind of movie. If this is your kind of movie, a C+ and an A are indistinguishable to you.
  • C means it is competent, but uninspired genre fare. People who like this kind of movie will think it satisfactory. Others probably will not.
  • C- indicates that it we found it to be a poor movie, but genre addicts find it watchable. Any film rated C- or better is recommended for fans of that type of film, but films with this rating should be approached with caution by mainstream audiences, who may find them incompetent or repulsive or both. If this is NOT your kind of movie, a C- and an E are indistinguishable to you.
  • D means you'll hate it even if you like the genre. We don't score films below C- that often, because we like movies and we think that most of them have at least a solid niche audience. Now that you know that, you should have serious reservations about any movie below C-. Films rated below C- generally have both bad reviews and poor popular acceptance.
  • E means that you'll hate it even if you love the genre.
  • F means that the film is not only unappealing across-the-board, but technically inept as well.

 

Based on this description, this film is a C, a completely watchable homage to, and parody of, grade-B disaster movies.

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