Plot: What’s it about?
Snakes. I hate them. Always have and always will. This is true for most anyone, though and “Snakes on a Plane” does very little to change our view of these slithery reptiles. “Snakes on a Plane” benefited heavily from internet buzz and let’s be frank, if there was one movie that would actually deliver on what it promised – it’d be this one. Amid the summer blockbusters this last season, “Snakes on a Plane” opened to dismal reviews and was somewhat of a disappointment. The lesson was that internet hype doesn’t always equal big bucks at the box office. That said, I was kind of curious as to what the movie was all about (aside from the title, of course) and after seeing it I have to say that if you take it with a grain of salt, it’s really not that bad. Lastly, lest we forged the overhyped catchphrase of the film uttered by none other than Samuel L. Jackson. The never-aging star seemed to have a lot of fun with his role here and let’s just say that if anyone ever sees an actual snake on a plane, they’ll be more than likely to shout out Jackson’s phrase.
The story begins in Hawaii where Sean (Nathan Phillips) is riding his motorcycle through the woods. He happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses a murder by gangster Eddie Kim (Byron Lawson). Fearing for his life, Sean high-tails it back to his place only to be saved at the last minute by FBI agent Neville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson). Sean is then convinced by Neville to testify against Eddie Kim in Los Angeles to put the gangster away for life. Once en route to Los Angeles, the fun starts. Kim has managed to load the plane with poisonous snakes and a few hours into the flight, they’re let loose. Naturally we meet all sorts of characters on the flight and we pretty much assume that all of the mean or nasty people will get bitten or eaten by the snakes. And we’re pretty much right. There’s the rap star (Flex Alexander) with his two bodyguards, the flight attendant on her last trip (Julianna Marguiles) and a couple of kids flying by themselves. Will the plane ever make it to Los Angeles or will the snakes do their job and kill everyone aboard?
As I mentioned earlier, “Snakes on a Plane” really isn’t that bad of a movie. I’m a person who is afraid of snakes of any size and shape and this movie doesn’t really do a whole lot to change my perception of them. There is a featurette that focuses on the snake handler and he gives us a lot of information and misconceptions about the reptiles, but I’m still not getting close to them in the least thank you very much. “Snakes on a Plane” has some genuinely funny moments in that there’s really only so many ways a snake can kill a person, but the movie seems to use them all. Samuel L. Jackson is once again very tongue in cheek and make the movie that much more fun to watch. Take it all for what you will, but I found much more enjoyment out of this movie that some of the summer blockbusters that were over hyped even more than this. Heck, treat yourself to a double feature with this followed by “Anaconda”!
Video: How does it look?
“Snakes on a Plane” is shown in a very wide 2.35:1 anamorphic image that looks fairly good throughout. Some of the interior shots seems a bit harsh and overexposed, but for the most part I was fairly pleased with how this looks on DVD. There are several dark scenes and a few have some artifacting issues, but nothing that truly detracts from the picture. Edge enhancement isn’t a problem either. I’ve been doing a lot of Blu-ray and HD DVD watching as of late and it’s easy to get spoiled by those, but lest we forget that a standard DVD doesn’t really look that bad on any screen.
Audio: How does it sound?
The film contains two very robust tracks in a DTS ES mix and a Dolby Digital EX mix. I chose the DTS for the main feature and then went back to some key scenes and compared it with the Dolby Digital version. Overall the sound is very robust, and with the majority of the action taking place in an airplane, we get the added depth and ambiance associated with such an atmosphere. Dialogue is very warm and clean, too. The hissing of the snakes even sounds pretty impressive! Surrounds are active for a majority of the movie and do offer some added support at key moments. Color me impressed here as I wasn’t expecting such a pair of great-sounding tracks.
Supplements: What are the extras?
New Line doesn’t come out with a lot of DVD’s anymore, they pretty much released most of what they had in their catalog and their new releases are few and far between. That said, they have always done a great job with their Platinum Series releases and “Snakes on a Plane” is certainly no exception. We begin with a commentary by director David Ellis and Samuel L. Jackson who make some pretty interesting comments on the track. It’s clear both of them had fun doing the film and it’s evident in this track. There are about ten deleted and extended scenes that took place in the movie. Most don’t offer up that much more insight (most likely why they were cut and shortened) and are available with optional director’s commentary. The main substance comes from the featurettes: “Pure Venom: The Making of Snakes on a Plane”, “Snakes on a Blog”, “Meet the Reptiles” and “Visual Effects” all show different aspects of the movie ranging from the internet hype to the snakes used in the movie, both CGI and real. A gag reel, music video and some trailers are also included as is some DVD-ROM online content. While “Snakes on a Plane” likely won’t slither away with any Oscars, take it for what it’s worth – I had fun watching it.
