Also, the producers like to talk about all the real snakes used during the making of the film (allegedly more than 400), but the close-ups are so obviously cheesy special effects that no one could possibly mistake them for the real thing.
The film probably would have worked better if it had been envisioned as a hard R from the beginning. It doesn't take much imagination to re-construct the PG-13 cut. So we have more profanity (a couple of "fucks" here and there), more graphic snake bites, and bare breasts. It has been widely reported that five days of re-shoots occurred earlier this year in an effort to provide content that would tip the rating from PG-13 to R. When it comes to the non-reptilian animals aboard the plane, the snakes are equal opportunity biters. The generic (non-Monty) python has more personality than the Frightened Newlywed, the Germ-phobic Rap Star, or the Hostile Brit. Jackson who leave an impression are flight attendants Claire (Juliana Margulies) and Tiffany (Sunny Mabry), and the video game obsessed Troy (Kenan Thompson). (Or maybe Leslie Nielsen.) The only characters not played by Samuel L. We half-expect Shelly Winters and George Kennedy to show up. There are more secondary characters than you can count on your fingers, but they're all thinly drawn disaster movie stereotypes. William Shatner saw a goblin on the wing these guys see cobras in the cargo hold.
#FIREPROOF THE MOVIE AND THE DIARY FREE#
The mobster wants Sean dead, so he does what any self-respecting mobster would do: smuggles hundreds of poisonous snakes aboard the plane and arranges for them to get free from their crates at 30,000 feet. Jackson plays FBI agent Neville Flynn, who's transporting Federal witness Sean Jones (Nathan Phillips) from Honolulu to L.A. At no point does he yell, "Die, motherfucker!" which is a shame because it's just the kind of clichéd dialogue that would fit right in. (It is, for the record: "Enough is enough! I've had it with these motherfuckin' snakes on this motherfuckin' plane!") There's variety in the way he dispatches his opponents: by electrocution, by fire extinguisher, by blow-torch, by crushing, and by gunshot. He has his big speech moments, his bad ass moments, and he gets to utter the coolest line in the film. Jackson form, kicking ass and taking numbers. Snakes on a Plane isn't that long - it's about 100 minutes - but that’s about twice as long as the material warrants. The movie does the same things during its second half that it does during its first half. Now what? Half-way through the movie, the filmmakers have pretty much run out of ideas (and that's taking account that the first 25 minutes represents set-up). Unfortunately, there's only so much that can be done with the concept, and that's where the film's fault lies. A certain amount of rowdiness is almost a prerequisite. I would imagine this film could seem terribly lame seen in an empty theater or at home alone. (Man or woman, imagine where you would least like to be bitten by a snake, and someone gets bitten there.) One could argue that the audience makes the movie. With a title like that, how could there not be? The special effects are suitably cheesy, the acting is way over-the-top, and there are some great moments of lowbrow comedy. I won't deny there's fun to be had watching Snakes on a Plane. Director David Ellis has made the film he was hired to make. Snakes on a Plane is motherfuckin' fireproof. Critics could spew bile in reviews, and it wouldn’t make a bit of difference at the box office. With Snakes on a Plane, New Line Cinema has trumpeted the fact, using this marketing line: "We want the fans to see it first." Translation: we don't want any negative advance word spoiling a big opening day. Most of the time, when a studio decides to hide a film from critics, they do so on the sly. Or just enjoy making fun of bad movies (in other words, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 audience). The problem is, it's not for many other people, either. Jackson is on record as saying this movie isn't for critics.