Snakes on a Plane

Before all the hype, before the Internet craze, before the filming and the press junkets and KRAFT tables, "Snakes on a Plane" existed as an article in Nature Magazine. Fourteen years and more than 25 studios later, it would become one of the most hyped movies of all time (and who said nothing good every came out of Nature Magazine). Its fame started soon after screenwriter Josh Friedman, who had been asked to work on the script, introduced the title to the Internet. Songs, apparel, parody sketches and mock movie trailers almost immediately followed. The title even came to be used on Internet forums as an expression for everything from the absurd and nonsensical to phrases such as "shit happens," affectionately abbreviated SoaP. And while "Snakes on a Plane" is undoubtedly both absurd and nonsensical, with Samuel L. Jackson (which naturally only added to the excitement) as the leading man, he certainly doesn't adopt the SoaP, "shit happens" attitude, and take this airborne reptilian invasion sitting down.

Indeed, "Snakes on a Plane" wastes almost no time in thrusting Jackson onto a flight that looks more like the snake house at the zoo than a 747. And thank God. In a movie where the entire synopsis is conveyed in the title, plot building should most defiantly take the back row of coach. The little storyline there is remains easy to follow: A red-bull drinking extreme sports enthusiast witnesses some Asian bad guy murder a prosecutor in Hawaii. This baddies' henchmen seek out the witness, who is narrowly saved by FBI agent Neville Flynn, Samuel L. Jackson's character. Convinced to testify against the murderer (who is in L.A. by this time), Flynn escorts the witness aboard a flight bound for California. Enter the snakes, which have been ingeniously placed in the cargo hold. Time elapsed: around 15 minutes. The rest of the film then concerns the passengers' battle to keep control of the plane, as multitudes of poisonous snakes crawl out of every crevice of the aircraft and over every cleft of the human body.

It's hard not to fall in love with "Snakes on a Plane" if you go in with the right attitude. Expecting anything but what the title suggests will not only disappoint you, but should get you shot (it's about motha-f***ing snakes on a motha-f***ing plane for Christ's sake). It would also help if you go in with a sense of humor, for the film is, despite its classification as an action/thriller/horror film, hilarious in its own absurd, "so bad, it's good," B-movie way. Perhaps even more entertaining than the film itself is the cheering, applauding and the "call and response" from the audience that makes the film feel almost interactive. Samuel L. Jackson of course steals the show, especially with his famous line of well placed expletives that will undoubtedly erupt in a roar from the crowd every time: "I've had it with these motha-f***ing snakes on this motha-f***ing plane." And for those who just can't get enough of snakebites, there are plenty to go around; eyes, faces, nipples, you name it and at least one snake will have attacked it.

Still there are those who were more than disappointed with the movie's performance and its opening weekend box office numbers were not as good as expected. Certainly the movie was a bit overvalued, but fault lies not with the actual film but the hype the Internet generated. Ultimately though, "Snakes on a Plane" delivers on its promise. And sometimes it takes a man like Samuel L. Jackson to point this out: "I don't have to think about it; I know what it is. It's