Snakes on a Plane

Movie Name: Snakes on a Plane
Year of Release: 2006
Director: David R. Ellis
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Margulies, Bobby Cannavale, David Koechner, Nathan Phillips, Rachel Blanchard, Flex Alexander, Kenan Thompson, Keith Dallas, Lin Shaye, Bruce James, Sunny Mabrey, Tom Butler, Todd Louiso, Gerard Plunkett, Terry Chen, Elsa Pataky, Emily Holmes, Casey Dubois, Daniel Hogarth, Taylor Kitsch
Genre: Action, Adventure
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review

Late director David R. Ellis initially made a name for himself in stunts before jumping into directing, starting with the film "Homeward Bound II" and then directing the second installment of the "Final Destination" franchise. Following the fairly well received "Cellular" Ellis took on "Snakes on a Plane", which was a title which generated a lot of interest online alone. The film follows the story of agent Neville Flynn who has to accompany the witness to a crime, the young Sean Jones, from Hawaii to Los Angeles so that he can testify against a crime boss. The flight starts fairly well, with Head Flight Attendant Claire Miller initially somewhat annoyed by the fact that the crew wasn't informed two FBI agents would be onboard. Things however take a quick turn for the worse, when mid flight a slew of venomous snakes is unleashed on the plane wreaking havoc and killing a series of passengers. Neville and Claire have to work together, since soon even the pilots fall prey to the snakes, and they have to prevent the plane from crashing and killing everyone onboard.

This film is one where the title aptly and accurately describes what takes place during its narrative. It's a film that clearly knows it's a B-movie, and David R. Ellis wastes no time in establishing the context of what's about to take place and defining its main characters. The tone isn't so much about the suspense of an unknown danger, but more about surviving these snakes who are seemingly everywhere and who are lethal in their attacks. Both Neville and Claire, the lead characters in this ensemble, while thinly characterized, manage to have a good chemistry between each other, which makes for an interesting watch, particularly since they're embodied by the always charismatic Samuel L. Jackson and the underrated Julianna Margulies. The director also manages to make good use of the claustrophobia associated with being inside an airplane, exploring the space in which the characters can flee and seek refuge (and others where they are indeed more vulnerable). It's an unpretentious film, one that knows the ridiculousness of its premise, but nonetheless one that creates an over the top watching experience, inspired by catastrophe films (and frills) from the 70s, including George Seaton's "Airport" and even Ronald Neame's "The Poseidon Adventure". The supporting characters are barely sketches, but Bobby Cannavale, David Koechner and Todd Louiso manage to create compelling characters. The production team is solid, featuring the cinematography from Adam Greenberg and score from Trevor Rabin. Watchable but forgettable.