Snakes on a Plane
Review by Fritz Esker
In the past few months, as the internet furor over Snakes on a Plane increased to epic proportions, I tried to think of precedents for the kind of buzz it was generating. The best comparison I could think of was The Blair Witch Project. In 1999, buzz slowly began to build about the film that was a hit at Sundance, a faux documentary about three students who shot a film in the woods and were never heard from again. Before it was even released, it became an internet sensation and some people even mistakenly believed it was a true story. Not surprisingly, when it was released, it was a blockbuster hit. But, the sad fact remains that The Blair Witch Project was (and still is) a pretty bad film. The acting is terrible, the script is nonexistent (literally - and the actors aren't very good at improvising) and the directors have nowhere near the skill of a Spielberg at wringing out tension from the unseen, a la Jaws. But, the marketing was genius and I tip my caps to the filmmakers for that.
Similarly, I must doff my cap again to the marketing department for Snakes on a Plane. By exploiting to the power of the internet and adhering to fan suggestions that they add more gore and nudity, they created a juggernaut that is completely critic-proof and will undoubtedly make its budget back and then some in its opening weekend. But is Snakes on a Plane a better film than The Blair Witch Project? Yes, it is (granted, that's a backhanded compliment). Unfortunately, it is still largely disappointing and not the rollicking piece of B-movie entertainment that it could have been.
In 2004, director David R. Ellis made Cellular, which was silly and unbelievable, yet still a lot of fun. Making viewers swallow a ludicrous premise and getting them to just enjoy the ride is not easy, but Ellis proved he could pull it off. Here, he faces an even bigger challenge, to do the same with a ridiculous horror movie premise: a gangster (Byron Lawson) tries to eliminate a witness (Nathan Phillips) being transported by an FBI agent (Samuel L. Jackson) to L.A to testify against him by unleashing crates of poisonous snakes on the passengers. To be fair, it is not an easy task to take something that is at its core brutal and nasty and make it into fun, pulpy entertainment. Some movies have pulled off this balancing act: Tremors and Gremlins are two that leap to mind. However, Snakes on a Plane never quite masters its tone. Since it lacks the wry humor of films like Tremors and Gremlins, it ends up feeling more mean-spirited and ugly than fun and entertaining.
Here is where the filmmaker's decision to listen to their fans hurts them artistically (although it may very well help their bottom line). Originally, the film was supposed to be rated PG-13, but after internet fans demanded gore and nudity, Ellis added scenes to include more gore and nudity. The add-ons feel like just that: tacky and witless bits that were thrown in at the last minute. Gore can be creative and witty in the right hands (look at last year's Land of the Dead or Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow for examples). Here, the gore only feels gratuitous. Instead of making Snakes on a Plane seem more like a fun B-movie, they make it seem more like a Friday the 13th film, forced and exploitative. The Friday the 13th films never felt fun, just mean, and that's the territory Snakes on a Plane enters when it throws in the gore and nudity.
However, Snakes is still better than a Friday the 13th film. The idea of snakes being loose in an enclosed space like a plane is good for some chills and Ellis, still a competent director, manages to get in some decent shocks, even if those shocks are relatively sparse.
Some defenders of the film will try and argue that Snakes is meant to be viewed as camp. Indeed, a good percentage of the following it garnered even before its release probably wants to see it because they think it will be so awful it's funny. If that is what the filmmakers were going for, that is an incredibly slippery slope. In an article written for Esquire before the film's release, Chuck Klosterman correctly notes that camp occurs when something meant to be good is laughably bad (i.e. something like Mommie Dearest). Intentionally trying to create that effect is near impossible and it is rare for a film to even attempt it. The Rocky Horror Picture Show did and Tim Burton's Mars Attacks did as well. I don't think either are completely successful. Rocky Horror has its inspired moments and an undeniable energy, but I don't think the film works on its own terms (meaning away from a crowd where everyone's dressed up and singing along). Mars Attacks is one of my least favorite films of the '90's.
In the end, it seems like Snakes on a Plane is never quite sure of what it wants to be. It lacks the cleverness, ingenuity, and humor that the best B-movies have. It does not have the pretensions to make it truly campy, nor is the film itself self-conscious enough to be viewed as intentional camp (i.e. Rocky Horror). Before long, Snakes on a Plane will be forgotten. It is neither skillful enough to work as popcorn entertainment, nor is it laughably awful enough to merit a "so bad it's good" following.