I watched Snakes on a Plane and I didn’t like it. 2/5
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Snakes on a Plane is exactly what you’d expect from a movie with such a blunt, over-the-top title: chaotic, absurd, and packed with ridiculous moments. Directed by David R. Ellis, this film brings together Samuel L. Jackson, a doomed flight, and a literal snake infestation at 30,000 feet. While the premise alone had the potential to be campy fun, Snakes on a Plane never quite manages to turn its outrageous concept into something truly entertaining, landing closer to cringe-worthy than thrilling.
The plot is straightforward: Jackson plays FBI agent Neville Flynn, who’s escorting a witness on a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles. To prevent the witness from testifying, a ruthless crime boss releases hundreds of venomous snakes on board. What follows is a series of frantic attacks as passengers are assaulted by an endless supply of slithering, CGI snakes. As absurd as it sounds—and is—the film quickly becomes repetitive, as each attack follows the same formula: cue the hissing, the scream, and another predictable snake bite.
Samuel L. Jackson is the film’s saving grace, bringing his usual intensity and charisma to the role of Flynn. He commits to the madness, delivering the now-iconic line, “I’ve had it with these motherfing snakes on this motherfing plane!” with perfect timing. But even Jackson’s charm can only go so far. The dialogue is clunky, the characters are one-dimensional, and it’s hard to care about anyone’s survival when they’re written like caricatures. It’s clear that the movie is leaning into the absurd, but there’s a difference between campy fun and lazily written characters.
The CGI snakes are another letdown, often looking too cartoonish to be truly scary. Instead of feeling tense, most of the attack scenes come off as unintentionally funny or just plain goofy. The movie doesn’t build any genuine suspense; instead, it relies on cheap jump scares and gross-out gags that become predictable fast. There’s potential for a kind of tongue-in-cheek horror here, but the humor feels forced, and the shock value wears off after the first few attacks. By the midpoint, it’s just the same trick on repeat.
Snakes on a Plane also lacks the self-awareness that could have made it more enjoyable. A film with a concept this ridiculous would have benefited from leaning fully into parody, but instead, it feels caught between wanting to be a serious thriller and a campy creature feature. The result is a disjointed tone that doesn’t fully commit to either, making it hard to know if we’re supposed to laugh or actually feel scared.
In the end, Snakes on a Plane doesn’t live up to the cult potential of its title. It’s a film that might work for a late-night watch with friends, where you can laugh at its over-the-top premise and ridiculous moments, but on its own, it’s a missed opportunity. Samuel L. Jackson does his best, but even he can’t save this slithery mess of a movie. If you’re in it for the absurdity alone, you might find some fleeting entertainment, but for most viewers, it’s likely to feel like a bumpy ride to nowhere.