With a sigh of relief (or is it disappointment?), Snakes on a Plane is not the pop culture punch-line it so amiably sets out to be. A question, however, remains unanswered. For though a rose by any other name may smell as sweet, would Snakes on a Plane be less impressive if it were known instead by Cobras in Coach?
To help me understand this problem I sought out one of the participants in Snakes. So with me as I write this review is Ralph the Cobra.
Now some may question the credibility of a source named Ralph, and, for those who do, I must say it shows a certain want of imagination to harbor such skepticism. As Mr. the Cobra reminds me, snakes are quite intelligent in the world he's from. They can certainly get past airport security without suspicion, and if it weren't for the lack of opposable thumbs, they'd give Koko the Gorilla a run for her spotlight on the Discovery Channel.
In this cinematic project (Ralph's term), special agent Flynn, played by Samuel L. Jackson channeling his Jules from Pulp Fiction and Lorenzo from SWAT, is escorting a high priority witness from Hawaii to Los Angeles so he can testify against a gangster from Hawaii in LA. I would like to point out the unnecessary plotting that's taking place, but Ralph seems to hiss and shake his rattle whenever I bring up logic (Yes, I was also surprised to learn some Cobra's like Ralph have rattles).
Flynn, the witness and company board a nondescript passenger jet that looks like a Boeing but has the interior of a soundstage. The other passengers on the plane have names, but they're not very helpful. It's best to remember them their archetype -- the germophobic hip-hop singer, the newlyweds, the ambiguously gay steward and so forth.
The first section of the movie is terribly uninteresting. "Where are the snakes?" I ask in desperation. "They're not on the plane yet." Ralph responds. Ralph is no liar, and, shortly after take off, all sorts of mayhem breaks loose. People were getting bit in every place associated with human procreative function. To be sure, there's something horrific about a snake between one's legs but there's also something darkly humorous about visualizing such double entendres.
It's at this point the film finds its beat and marches to it. Snakes deftly slithers between comedy and suspense but all such tensions rests with the willingness of the audience to check in reason, common sense and other such baggage before departure and not expect their return until the arrival of the credits.
It's worth remembering that all stories share a symbiotic relationship with their audience. We accept the vagaries of Oedipus's fate because that's the way Sophocles wrote it. We believe in the author's sincerity. Just the same, whether or not you'll find Snakes enjoyable depends on how much you'll entertain idea of there being snakes on a plane (or maybe a talking cobra named Ralph).
Though the film is inevitably no more than a footnote in cinematic history, at best an optimistic metaphor for the war against terror, it is confident and competent in executing its premise. Snakes on a Plane is enjoyable but easily forgotten.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
