Snakes on a Plane (2006)
★★½ — Snakes on a Plane (2006)
Snakes on a Plane arrived in August 2006 riding one of the stranger waves in early internet culture, having become a genuine online phenomenon months before release, with fans generating their own trailers, merchandise, and even a parody song. New Line Cinema, recognising the buzz, actually ordered reshoots to add more outrageous content (including Samuel L. Jackson's now-notorious one-liner) and pushed the rating from PG-13 to R to satisfy the crowd demanding exactly that kind of film. Director David R. Ellis was a former stunt co-ordinator who had previously made Final Destination 2 and Cellular, comfortable territory in genre filmmaking rather than prestige production. The $33 million budget was modest for an action thriller of this scale, and the film turned a solid if unspectacular profit, though it fell short of the blockbuster the internet hype had seemed to promise.
Snakes on a Plane is exactly what the title promises, and honestly, that’s kind of why it works. You don’t watch this film expecting subtlety or deep character arcs. You watch it because snakes are on a plane, and Samuel L. Jackson is there to deliver the most iconic line in action history. And yes, it lives up to the hype, because how could it not. Our generation's "chicken jockey" It’s pure, unapologetic shlock from start to finish: ridiculous plot (drug dealers release venomous snakes mid-flight to kill a witness), increasingly absurd snake attacks, and zero regard for realism. But within its B-movie lane, it delivers. The tone is just self-aware enough to be fun without winking too hard, and Jackson brings his full gravitas to a role that lesser actors would phone in. He plays it straight, serious, heroic (even as he’s elbow-deep in snake guts) and that commitment elevates the whole thing. Kenan Thompson shows up in a great early cameo (a welcome surprise post-Goodburger), and there are a few other fun bits but the film drags in the middle and the supporting cast is forgettable. Not great cinema, not trying to be. But as a campy, over-the-top thrill ride with one legendary performance at its core it earns its cult status.
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 2006 | Watched: 2025-09-22
Where to watch (UK)
Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel · Sky Go · Now TV Cinema
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK
Affiliate disclosure: Movies With Macca may earn a small commission on purchases or subscriptions started via these links. It costs you nothing extra.
Related on Movies With Macca
More with Samuel L. Jackson: Black Snake Moan (2006) · Jumper (2008) · Pulp Fiction (1994) · The Hateful Eight (2015)
More from the 2000s: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005) · Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) · Daredevil (2003) · Apocalypto (2006)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
More thriller: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) · Angst (1983) · The Long Walk (2025) · Punishment Park (1971)
