Samuel L. Jackson is really tired of these snakes on this plane. That’s roughly the quote; most people can fill in the gaps. When you look at Snakes On A Plane, you have to consider that it was released before Sharknado (2013), before Megashark vs Giant Octopus (2009), before low-budget ridiculous creature features were as much of a “thing” as they are now… It’s debatable whether they started the trend here, but it was a big hit, and now it’s arriving for the first time on 4K.
After Sean (Nathan Phillips) witnesses a brutal murder in Hawaii, Agent Neville Flynn (Samuel L. Jackson) takes him into witness protection. This requires a flight back to LA, where the crime boss/murderer, Eddie Kim (Byron Lawson), has arranged for a shipment of snakes to travel along with him. This is further complicated by there also being a shipment of flowers, which have been sprayed with pheromones that make the snakes go a bit doolally, set to explode into the plane’s air system once they are in flight. It’s almost too simple!
The snakes are released, they make their way around the plane, wreaking havoc wherever they go, killing, biting, eating the occasional dog and rude passenger, much as you’d expect. This, alongside getting into the electronics and the cockpit, where they take out the pilot. So far, so absurd.
What brings Snakes on a Plane home, however, is the script and the characters. These people all know exactly what movie they are in and what characters they are playing. From Clarence (Flex Alexander), a germophobic rapper with two old friends as bodyguards, to flight attendant Claire (Julianna Margulies), who is on her last flight before quitting to go to law school. The interplay between these people is what makes it work. Keeping the increasingly ridiculous plot funny and engaging throughout, Samuel L. Jackson delivers those classic lines like only he can, but in between, he is warm, funny and likeable.
This is balanced against the support on the ground: fellow agent Hank Harris (Bobby Cannavale) and snake expert Dr Steven Price (Todd Louiso), an eccentric weirdo who finds the situation more frustrating than anything. As Price tries to puzzle out what snakes they are facing via vague layperson descriptions, the agents, passengers, and airline staff attempt to fight, treat bites and pass witty quips.
Snakes On A Plane is one of those romps where, despite it being far… far… far… from high art… It’s so much fun it really doesn’t matter.
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Limited Edition Special Features
- Brand new 4K restoration by Arrow Films
- 4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
- Original DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Brand new audio commentary by critics Max Evry and Bryan Reesman
- Archival cast and crew audio commentary, featuring director David R. Ellis, actor Samuel L. Jackson, producer Craig Berenson, associate producer Tawny Ellis, VFX supervisor Eric Henry, and second unit director Freddie Hice
- Snakes on a Page, a brand new mini-documentary exploring the movie tie-in novelisation phenomenon, featuring publisher Mark Miller, historian David Spencer and Christa Faust, author of the Snakes on a Plane novelisation
- Pure Venom, an archival feature on the making of the film, featuring interviews with the cast and crew
- Meet the Reptiles, an archival featurette on the work of snake wrangler Jules Sylvester and the various snakes featured in the film
- VFX, an archival featurette on the use of CGI to bring the snakes to life
- Snakes on a Blog, an archival featurette on the online hype surrounding the film prior to its release
- Snakes on a Plane music video
- Making of the music video
- Gag reel
- Deleted and extended scenes
- Trailers and TV Spots
- Image gallery
- Easter eggs
- South Pacific Airlines safety instruction card
- Reversible sleeve featuring two original artwork options
- Collectors’ booklet featuring new writing by Daniel Burnett and Charlie Brigden
Snakes On A Plane is out now on Limited Edition 4K and Blu-ray from Arrow Video
