Kathmandu :

Snakes on a Plane (Thriller)

Cast: Samuel L Jackson,

Byron Lawson and Nathan Philips

Direction: David R Ellis

Showing at Kumari Cinema, Gopi Krishna

Never has the tryst with the slithering snakes been this sloppy.

In fact, after we’ve been witness to the entire bizarre animated creature barrage, snakes, though they still maintain that macabre merit, got to be taught a new modus operandi to terrify us.

One heard a five-year pleading with his father during intermission, “Dad, aren’t we allowed to leave the movie hall before the film gets over?”

The ordeal might have been similar for many other children who’ve seen better anacondas and beastlier beasties rather than slithering pythons that prey without even being provoked!

The movie opens amidst whitish bikini-clad-women, and the beach bumming surfer Sean (Nathan Phillips), who becomes a witness to a mob rob-out by Hawaiian crime lord Eddie Kim (Byron Lawson). The gangsters get after the eyewitness’ life and we are introduced to Neville Flynn (Samuel L Jackson), an FBI agent, who never seemed much of a fathead as when he saves Sean from a shootout. Later, Flynn also talks Sean into testifying against the drug lord. And as they board the South Pacific Flight 121 in order to bear witness in LA, nothing seems wrong until the flight takes and the pheromone frenzied snakes, that slither out of the cargo boxes into the belly of the plane.

Amidst all the chaos, we are introduced to a slew of characters — from perky pilots to horny couples who don’t mind copulating on the plane. And yes, 400 different varieties of snakes that writhe and slither, and bite off the most sensitive parts of the human anatomy. You shrink back in your seat for wee moments, but as their actions ascend the height of absurdity, you just sneer at them. Of course, there are moments of toilet love and laughter, and snakes that pander rather than hiss with feral ferocity.

Snakes on a Plane really fails to petrify you, and the performances of the cast, more than anything, just leave you penitent for each paisa you dug-out to watch the movie.