Posted by Will Ng under FilmResponses (0)

Looking for something to do on a dreary Saturday afternoon, a friend and I caught Snakes On A Plane, and it was the most fun I have had in a movie theater since I can remember. Thinking back, in light of all the air incidents in recent days, not only was the tongue-in-cheek disaster flick perfect for late summer, it has been accidentally timely too.

On top of every other threat scenario, should planners and business travelers even fathom an air terror plot involving snakes (or other dangerous animals)? I’d like to say no, since I’d still like to believe that our ever-diligent airport security can detect something as conspicuous as a giant crate containing hundreds of loud, hissing aggressive snakes hopped up on pheromones, as in SOAP.

However, there have been real-life, isolated incidents of snakes getting aboard planes. Bees too. And I wouldn’t be shocked if some idiot attempts a life-imitating-art stunt — I’m surprised it hasn’t already happened. But thankfully, nothing large-scale has occurred.

As for the movie, it was an enjoyable mindless popcorn flick. It had plot holes big enough for a 747 to taxi through and was filled with one-dimensional stock characters/victims, but it provided plenty of creative shocking moments, unintentionally hilarious dialogue and enough one-liners to fill a coffee-table book — including the most anticipated one delivered by a straight-faced Samuel L. Jackson, which I cannot repeat here but can say involves the words “snakes” and “plane” and a maternal reference.    

Half the fun came from the communal experience not unlike a midnight showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, with everyone in the packed theater picking up on in-jokes and hollering at the already-cult film onscreen.