Not since “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” came out in 1988 has there been such an enthralling movie title as “Snakes on a Plane.”The film received huge Internet buzz when its title was first uttered in the media world.
The Internet frenzy then exploded when everyone heard Samuel L. Jackson had been cast in the lead role.
Bloggers from all over the globe showed tremendous interest in the film. My personal favorite being snakesonablog.com, which is a blog run by Brian Finkelstein.
Finklestein was invited to the premiere by New Line Cinema, which was held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Sensing they had a stinker on their hands, New Line Cinema had several new scenes added to bump the film up from a “PG-13” to an “R” rating.
Receiving an “R” rating on a movie can potentially be box-office suicide because, while it may make the film appear to be more edgy, it alienates younger audiences.
“After nearly a year of buildup, I have to say that the movie exceeded my expectations,” Finkelstein wrote on his blog. “It had snakes, it had planes, it had Sam Jackson, it had swearing. It had, in short, everything we were looking for.”
“Snakes” made a modest $15.2 million in the North American box office, which is seen as a disappointment since the film was expected to make the $22 million range by New Line Cinema.
The flick still managed to be the No. 1 film in its opening weekend, according to the weekend box office numbers on boxofficemojo.com.
The film actually is not all that bad. Its diverse cast is definitely a plus, which includes an Oscar nominee, an Emmy winner and even a former Power Ranger.
Julianna Margulies (“ER”) does a great job as one of the flight attendants, and Jackson reprises his usual role of the loud, tough officer who saves the day.
Comedic relief is provided by the co-pilot of the plane, played by David Koechner (“Anchorman”), and Kenan Thompson, who plays a passenger (“Kenan and Kel”).
The film is B-movie campiness at its best. Anywhere you can think of someone getting bit by a snake, and I mean anywhere, passengers seem to get bit there.
This movie packs enough screaming and gory snake attacks to make even Steve Irwin cringe. There’s even a gratuitous sex scene in the lavatory of the plane. Honestly, what else can you ask for?
