Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Marguiles, Nathan Phillips, Rachel Blanchard, Flex Alexander, Kenan Thompson, Keith Dallas, Lin Shaye, Bruce James, Sunny Mabrey, Casey Dubois, Daniel Hogarth, Gerard Plunkett, Terry Chen, Mark Houghton, David Koechner, Bobby Canavale and Todd Louiso
You know the plot by now, hell, you knew the plot when you read the title. Last year’s cult classic in the making has finally made it to DVD, where, hopefully, it’ll receive the attention it, and equally impressive fellow horror comedy Slither was denied at the box office.
It’s easy to buy into the hype but for once it’s deserved. Snakes is the sort of big cast, cheerfully stupid disaster movie that Hollywood stopped making ten years ago, where as much fun can be had playing ‘who gets killed next?’ as can be had watching the film. And there’s plenty to choose from here, ranging from Jackson’s stoical FBI partner to rapper 3 G’s and his bodyguards, who steal many of the scenes they’re in. Kenan Thompson in particular works extremely well, his amiable buffoon bodyguard one of the standout characters. Likewise, Marguiles is great as a heroic stewardess and the always entertaining Canavale and Louiso excel as Jackson’s back up on the ground.
But this was always going to be a Samuel L. Jackson movie. Visibly enjoying himself and fizzing with energy, Jackson’s on top form here, especially during his rolling battle with the snakes in the cargo hold. Angry, funny and never afraid to point out how ridiculous the whole thing is, he’s the heart and soul of the movie.
This is pure entertainment, and on DVD it comes with a pretty extensive set of extras. Aside from a commentary featuring Jackson, the director and the VFX supervisor amongst others, there are deleted scenes, a gag reel, documentaries (Including one looking at the internet buzz), a music video and the trailers for the film.
So do yourself a favour, rent this and Slither, order takeout and prepare for three hours of pure unadulterated fun. Just don’t take any flights afterwards…
Alasdair started writing when he was nine, powered by a hefty diet of '80s cartoons, Doctor Who and Icepops. He's quite tired by this stage but has written a lot of things for a lot of people, including Fortean Times, Neo and Surreal.