I hadn’t seen this movie in quite a while- it took babysitting my younger cousins for me to break it out and give it a review, and I’m glad I did. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was one of my favorite movies as a child and after seeing it I would wonder what certain things would look like if I were very tiny. I would also look for people in my Froot Loops and Cheerios, but that’s just because I’m a nerd.
Combining some pretty good special effects and a seriously devoted art department, this movie has some really impressive scenery. Sure, some of it looks kind of fake, but for the most part they did a really good job. You actually believe that these kids have been shrunk because their surroundings are so convincing. This is most certainly the essential component to making a film like this work.
A wacky scientist creates a machine capable of shrinking things, but it doesn’t work right very often. The few times that it does work, it shrinks his children and the neighbor kids, who end up having to hike back to the house through the back yard after accidentally being swept up and taken out with the trash.
Targeted for kids but also enjoyable for adults, you’re able to suspend your disbelief at some of the absurdities that would have been more stinging had this movie not meant to be a funny romp in the back yard. Kids will enjoy the adventure and parents will get the message about spending time with your kids. While not perfect, this fun piece of nostalgia is certainly an in-the-park home run.
The hype surrounding this film turned out to be just a whole bunch of jerks online making fun of it, few of whom put their money where their mouths were. But had they gone to see Snakes on a Plane, they’d have been pleasantly surprised.
This film is the ultimate example of truth in advertising- It says it has snakes on a plane, and it delivers snakes on a plane. It doesn’t promise viewers a rousing drama filled with tension and believable characters. It doesn’t promise viewers side-splitting comedy. All it promises is snakes… on a plane. And it keeps that promise.
Everything else is purely extra, and these extra attributes actually take this ridiculous sounding concept and turn it into a heck of a decent movie. Sure, the visual effects are at times quite hokey. Sure the snakes behave in unrealistic and improbable ways. Sure, the characters are culled up from a mixture of clichés guaranteed to draw laughs and gasps. But Snakes on a Plane doesn’t turn out to be the disaster many expected it to be. It’s got its share of legitimately tense moments and authentic scares. It's also got its share of witty jokes and scenes. Snakes on a Plane is also full of memorable (albeit silly) lines of dialogue, giving it potential to be the next big cult film.
If you go into Snakes on a Plane expecting anything more than snakes on a plane, you’ll be disappointed. Don’t hope for a masterpiece or a disaster- this is the kind of movie you need to take at face value and you’ll thank yourself later for doing so. Snakes on a Plane is a fun movie to experience. And that’s what it is, an experience. Just sit back and enjoy your time watching Samuel L. Jackson, in all his vulgar glory, battle it out with snakes… on a plane.
I hadn’t seen this movie in quite a while- it took babysitting my younger cousins for me to break it out and give it a review, and I’m glad I did. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was one of my favorite movies as a child and after seeing it I would wonder what certain things would look like if I were very tiny. I would also look for people in my Froot Loops and Cheerios, but that’s just because I’m a nerd.
