DVD Review: Snakes on a Plane

By Patrick Luce Jan 7, 2007, 19:32 GMT

With the snakes on the loose, the movie goes into overdrive. The filmmakers make sure that we get snakes striking from every possible camera angle.

Snakes on a Plane may not be the most original or intelligent movie ever made, but it is a lot of fun to watch. All this film requires is that you turn the brain off, and buckle up for a hell of a ride.

Much of the film’s enjoyment is the fact that it never tries to be anything more than what it is – a popcorn movie that is so unbelievable it forces you to suspend rational thought and believe it. The movie was directed by David R. Ellis (Final Destination 2 and Cellular) with a screenplay written by John Heffernan (who also wrote the story with David Dalessandro) and Sebastian Gutierrez. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Margulies, Nathan Phillips, Rachel Blanchard, David Koechner, and Kenan Thompson.
 
The movie’s plot (yes, there is a small one) follows federal agent Nelville Flynn (Jackson) as he escorts a government witness from Hawaii to Los Angeles for the trial of a major mob criminal.  Flynn isn’t expecting too much trouble since they are taking the red eye plane, securing all first class for themselves, and will be up in the air for the entire trip.

Jackson makes the movie worth watching

While he is settling down his witness, flight attendant Claire Miller (Margulies) is hoping to make the best out of her final flight (she is about to begin a new career) – which has now been disrupted by the arrival of Flynn. He has already made her move all the other passengers to the coach section, and she can already tell this is going to be an awful flight.

The film also makes sure the audience can play a quick game of guess the victim (where we predict who will get snake bitten) before the movie really gets going. The list includes the heiress with her little annoying dog (a bit of a Paris Hilton character perhaps); two boys traveling alone for the first time; a rude foreigner who keeps making comments to the flight attendants; a rap star and his entourage; a newlywed couple nervous about flying; a couple eager to join the “mile high club;” and an overweight woman chugging down the alcohol. 

Once we have all the characters established, the movie quickly lets the snakes loose. It appears the mob guy figured the only real way to get his witness was to load the plane full of poisonous snakes; lace a bunch of flowers with a hormone that will drive the snakes into a murderous rage; and then set a timer that will release the snakes when the plane is over the ocean. The snakes will either be able to kill the witness or cause so much trouble the plane crashes. Like I said, this isn’t the kind of movie where you really examine the plot.

With the snakes on the loose, the movie goes into overdrive. The filmmakers make sure that we get snakes striking from every possible camera angle (from the air bags to the toilet). The visual effects team makes sure the snakes look good, and the bites ooze at all the right times (oozing puss filled wounds fill the gore requirements for the movie). Once the snakes are out, the characters are pretty much cannon fodder with the exception of Jackson and a handful of others.

At times, Snakes on a Plane does seem like an ensemble movie, and several of the lesser known actors (such as Koechner and Thompson) deliver some of the funnier moments (even though it isn’t really supposed to be a comedy). However, Snakes on a Plane is Jackson’s movie, and the actor proves that he is so talented he can make even the dumbest plot cool.

Jackson delivers his Shaft/Pulp Fiction character with a twist in the film, and makes the movie impossible to simply dismiss as a throw away gimmick movie. It is clear he is having fun in the role – which in turns helps the audience have fun. He snaps his lines with his trademark quick wit, facial expressions, and an attitude few actors can get away with today.

Kenan Thompson delivers a ton of laughs

New Line goes above and beyond with the special features loaded on the DVD, and fans of the movie will be in snake heaven. The features take you behind the scenes of the movie and show how the snakes were used, the visual effects involved in making it, and what the actors went through dealing with the variety of snakes.

Features include audio commentaries with Ellis, Jackson, second unit director Freddie Hice, visual effects master Erik Henry, and producers Craig Berenson and Tawny Ellis. Unlike some commentaries that are so technical they are almost a chore to watch, Snakes on a Plane’s commentaries are almost as much fun as the movie – mostly thanks to Jackson and his sense of humor.

They also talk about some of the more technical aspects of the film (such as the snake boob shot) and how the movie made its long way from script to screen. Next, we get a gag reel that runs close to five minutes (featuring the classic bloopers and line screw ups), and ten deleted/extended scenes – that don’t really add much to the film.

The features also have a couple of standard “making of” looks at the movie including the 18 minute long “Pure Venom: The Making of Snakes on a Plane” (which again shows some of the fun the cast had making the movie); the 13 minute “Meet the Reptiles” (which shows the various snakes used in the film and has interviews with the actors/cast); and a five minute feature on the visual effects used to bring the computer generated snakes to life.

Diehard fans of the movie will also enjoy the ten minute long “Snakes on a Blog” which follows how the movie was supported on the Internet; and "Snakes on a Video" which has the Cobra Starship video for the movie and a behind the scenes making of the video.

Margulies is in for a very long flight

With a film like Snakes on a Plane, you already know what kind of a movie you are getting before you watch it. The movie makes no apologies for what it is, and instead amps up everything to celebrate its cheesiness. If you want a movie that is simply fun, this is the movie for you. Samuel L. Jackson is great in the film, the snakes are great in the film, and you will be entertained.

Snakes on a Plane is now available at Amazon and AmazonUK. Visit the DVD database for more information.