Snakes On A Plane - yes, really

On Saturday night, after sitting through the third intentionally upsetting road safety ad, and 6th overly-long, incomprehensible, and made to win awards but sure as hell won't win the client any new business commercials, we eventually got to the upcoming movie previews.

Enter: Snakes on a plane.

No, you read right, Snakes On A Plane - that's the name of one of the movies previewed. The plot wasn't exactly clear, aside from the fact that there are a plane full of people flying somewhere, and then suddenly, a lot of snakes too. Snakes in the cockpit, snakes in the overheard storage, snakes coming out of the oxygen masks, snakes everywhere. There is much panic, well, naturally, I mean, when was the last time you had to fight off a truckload of snakes on a flight? But before we completely lose hope, enter: Samuel L Jackson, who we can assume (and only pray to god) saves the day.

It looked like a hybrid between an Indiana Jones movie - you know, the kind where he walks through the burning catacombs into a nest full of nasties, and the The Poseidon Adventure - where only one brave and level-headed chap can lead the way to safety through all the madness.

As the preview ran, which was done in a style redolent of low budget 70's horrors, members of the audience began turning to their boy/girlfriends or mates and asking what Robert and I were asking each other, namely, "Is this a joke?" Well, I got home and IMDB'd it, and apparently not. It's classed as an Action/Horror/Thriller, and the official plot line states:

"On board a flight over the Pacific Ocean, an assassin, bent on killing a passenger who's a witness in protective custody, lets loose a crate full of deadly snakes."

Its not exactly clear how this assassin (a) got what effectively looks like the entire Amazon jungle's snake population onto the flight in the first place - especially with USA airport security these days, and (b) how he himself expects to survive once he has released them. Lastly, doesn't it seem a little bit like overkill using all these snakes to kill just one guy?

I'm probably being way too pragmatic in the face of artistic genius, and should just trust in the creative process that is 'Snakes On A Plane' to transport me to a better place for two hours or so on a Saturday night.

I think a quote from the character Nelville Flynn (Jackson) sums up the spirit of the movie best:

"I've had it with these mother fucking snakes on this mother fucking plane!"

I don't know about you, but I'm booking my tickets now.

Photos c/o imdb.com