Snakes on a Plane is half-baked. Its gimmick and title imply self-aware irony, but its execution is hackneyed, formulaic, and surprisingly dull. Instead of balancing drama and action, the first half sets up pointless plotlines and the second half is repetitive conflicts. The characters are cluttered, stereotypical, and flat. The dialogue is transparent, tropes are abundant, humor is juvenile, events are contrived, threads dead end, and there's significant misogyny and homophobia. The cast adds some personality but they can't transform this stale material. Overall, Snakes on a Plane proves that a premise is a single ingredient that cannot carry a film alone.
Technically, Snakes on a Plane is shoddy. It has forgettable music, messy imagery, and a third-rate cast. The audio captures action, snake hisses, and plane sounds, but is often silly and simple. The effects are abundant (with some real snakes and props), but its CGI is distractingly unconvincing. The editing has uneven pacing, confusing continuity, and aimless filler. Its production design is cheap with excessive product placements. Finally, the direction muddles the genre (failing at horror, thriller, and camp), tone (neither serious nor comedic), and structure (purposeless, bland, and disorganized). Ultimately, Snakes on a Plane buries a fun concept under cliches, incompetence, and crudity.
Writing: 2/10
Direction: 2/10
Cinematography: 4/10
Acting: 4/10
Editing: 3/10
Sound: 5/10
Score/Soundtrack: 4/10
Production Design: 3/10
Casting: 5/10
Effects: 4/10
Overall Score: 3.6/10
Comments