It was quite the Internet phenomenon. For the uninitiated, Snakes On A Plane (SOAP for short) gained fame in this brave new world of the Web by a brief mention on Ain’t It Cool News. It seems that the brutishly direct title Snakes On A Plane became a point of fascination for many pre-fans who propelled the film into an almost cult-like status in chat-rooms, blogs, and even a handful of dedicated SOAP sites. When New Line considered changing the name to something more polished, Samuel Jackson (the film’s primary actor) staunchly insisted that the simpleton-title stay. At one point the studio writing team, who were following the online buzz, incorporated some dialogue into the script that had been composed by fans and posted on-line. Geek-SOAPites heralded a new era of film-fan-interactivity where movie making would be forever changed by the power of the web. They considered SOAP the firstborn of a new category of films that would be influenced by self-appointed web-based scriptwriters who’s blogged brainstorming would be harvested by studio writers and ultimately grace the silver screen.

If SOAP is any indication, it takes more than a few months of Internet hype to make a decent movie, let alone change the paradigm of filmmaking. And while there are still a great many ardent fans to proudly strut their SOAP T-shirts and update their SOAP blog entries with biweekly fervor, the “phenomenon” of SOAP has come and gone with less consequence than an evening’s cocktail party with the only reminder a larger-than-usual stack of dirty dishes greeting you the morning after. Yes folks, with all due respect to the fans’ sincerity, Snakes On A Plane did manage to entertain a few moviegoers (like even most bad movies manage to do), but not much else.

In order for any viewing pleasure to be derived you must approach your SOAP experience with the realization that you are about to watch a very bad, very campy, very gory scare-fest. Personally, I found the film a disappointment in that I was expecting a more developed layer of self-aware satire to support the experience with an overtone of well-crafted humor. None to be found. Instead the film is a rather dry assemblage of one-dimensional characters intermingled with lots of boob-shots and crotch-humor thrown in like a flavorless stew where the chef keeps adding more and more salt to try to substitute for the lack of any real spice. And while I hear tale after tale of movie-viewers being scared right out of their seat, I can’t help but feel that this digitally-animated slithering snake-fest is something that more closely resembles a synthetic cartoon than a live-action film. (I’m sure that in the theater, in the presence of a hundred other like-minded SOAP fans, the viewing experience would have been much better served.) Of course, I felt that way watching Speed, Twister, and The Perfect Storm, so gauge my opinion accordingly if you happen to find any of those films triumphs of entertainment.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

While New Line often excels at producing top-drawer DVD picture presentations, this disc does not achieve that goal of visual high-fidelity on a large front-projection screen viewed from closer than two screen-widths away. The 2.35:1 image is good (better than the average DVD) but it has a few flaws that really distracted me . . . so much so that after watching this DVD I put in a few reference discs just to make sure that one of my roommates hadn’t accidentally disturbed the projector’s video calibration.

The first problem is contrast. The image has crushed blacks on the bottom end and crushed/blooming whites on the top. At first I assumed that this was the intended look of the film, but anamorphic video clips from the film in the special features reveal a smooth, even contrast-gradient that looks like real, natural film, unlike the feature presentation that appears digitally processed. The next problem I saw was the presence of mild edge ringing which, beyond the occasional edge halo, also has the unpleasant side-effect of interacting with the film’s natural fine-grain to create a harsh character to the picture. Just like the contrast issue, when I viewed the film-clips in the special features on the disc I saw none of those problems. The supplement images were smooth, natural, and had a more finely-detailed appearance that easily would have earned a top score. I also noticed a slight roll-off in detail in the feature film’s presentation compared to the anamorphic film-clips in the bonus material.

I think on small displays that are typically viewed from greater than two screen-widths distance that the flaws with the edge ringing, harshness, and minor softness won’t be a source of distraction. However, the problems with the transfer’s contrast will affect any critical viewers with a calibrated display. I wonder if the generous bonus material or the inclusion of multiple audio tracks (including DTS) had forced a compromise in image quality. Whatever the cause, the image left me unsatisfied.

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

The audio presentation on this disc is fantastic, a demo-disc for surround if ever there was one. New Line gets points for bringing you a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX track along with a DTS 6.1 ES discrete track. The DTS track sounds like it was recorded at a slightly lower level than the Dolby Digital track making direct A/B comparisons difficult when toggling with the remote’s audio button.

Surprisingly, unlike my usual impression of better sounding DTS tracks, the DTS mix on this disc left me a bit confused. Similar to the LOTR extended cuts (also New Line), the DTS track sounds smoother than the Dolby Digital mix, but also strangely distant and less articulate. (I say this even after level-matching the DTS and Dolby Digital tracks.) This is one of the few times you’ll hear me say this: the Dolby Digital mix presents a more atmospheric soundscape than the DTS mix on my system. And while the DTS 6.1 ES track does give 6.1 equipped listeners a discrete rear channel that improves surround performance over the matrixed center surround of the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix, the other anomalies caused me to prefer the Dolby Digital track.

But whichever track you prefer, you’ll be quite impressed. Bass is powerful and solid. Surround use is active but always appropriate in the context of onscreen action and remain cohesive with the front channels so the illusion of a seamless 360-degree soundfield is maintained. Dynamics are strong and often thunder into the room well above normal listening levels compared to the dialogue. This is not a film to watch late and night if you live in an apartment building without soundproofing. Snakes On A Plane will definitely make good use of your audio gear whatever it may be. Enjoy!

Please note then my evaluation was done without any THX re-equalization.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

New Line has delivered a terrific array of bonus material on this disc. Impressively, the video for most of the special features is in anamorphic video with outstanding feature-film image quality. The usual staples of bonus items are provided, including feature commentary by director David Ellis, second-unit director Freddie Hice, actor Samuel L. Jackson, producers Craig Berenson and Tawny Ellis, and effects technician Erik Henry. The commentary will be enjoyed by any fan and is mostly screen-specific although there are many interludes that cover the history of the film including its early-stages of planning and the debate surrounding the title (which Jackson insisted remain unchanged). It’s always fascinating to hear creative artists talk about their films with such sincerity; it’s as though they really think they’ve created some sort of masterpiece of cinematic expression (funnier than any humor feature film).

There are ten deleted scenes all presented in anamorphic video and in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio.  The picture quality exceeds that of the feature-presentation, with no edge halos and a more natural contrast balance. You can watch them with or without commentary from the film’s directory David Ellis. Fans should enjoy.

There’s a Gag Reel (4:35) which I enjoyed watching, particularly the rapper in a playful moment of homoerotic humor with his poison-infused bodyguards. I’m usually not much on gag reels but this one has some moments worth taking the time to discover.

The featurette Pure Venom: The Making Of Snakes On A Plane (18:00) is the usual behind-the-scenes documentary that details the cast and crew and the background of the film including its genesis, planning, and production. Lots of people took this film very seriously, which again has an element of humor all its own. Anyone interested in this film and how it was conceived and put together will enjoy this supplement. Those more interested in the computer-generated special effects of the animated snakes should watch VFX (5:00)

Meet The Reptiles (12:55) takes a look at the live snakes used in the film and the expert handlers who kept them under control on the set. This was the feature I enjoyed most on this disc. Those with a fear of legless-reptiles beware! Snakes On A Blog (10:00) explores the Internet hype that made SOAP into a virtual phenomenon before it ever reached the screen. Snakes On A Pregnant Woman? SOAP fans clearly come in all shapes and sizes.

New Line has also seen fit to provide a handful of Trailers in anamorphic video and TV spots among the bonus material, which will be satisfying for many fans. There’s a music video of the film’s theme song, which has an optional behind-the-scenes lead-in (or you can skip directly to the finished video). Yes, all in all that’s a healthy dose of special features for a single-disc DVD presentation.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

New Line gives the DVD-ROM enabled viewer some special Web links and other items that can be accessed during the film’s play.

Final Thoughts

Snakes On A Plane is a strange beast. It purports to be comedy but without the satire and well-crafted humor that made films like Airplane and Scary Movie such successes. It dares to be frightening and does have a few gotcha’s in store, although the effect is best when viewed with the lights turned out and with a large group willing to look past the story’s numerous faults to try and enjoy the ride for the think-free roller-coaster it really wants to be. New Line’s DVD presentation is respectable overall, with a fantastic array of bonus items and an outstanding soundtrack including both a Dolby Digital 5.1 EX mix and a DTS 6.1 ES mix. The image quality will look fine to most viewers on smaller screens or who view their large-screen displays from greater than two screen-widths away. But anyone with a front-projection system or who sits closer than 1.75 screen-widths from a high-resolution display will see the problems with ringing and the crushed top and bottom ends of the contrast range.  They’ll see a slightly harsh, digital-looking picture. But keeping everything in perspective, the image quality on this disc is well above that of the average DVD and is balanced by the reference-quality audio and plentiful bonus features. This disc is an easy recommendation to any fan of this zany film.

New Line Home Entertainment / 2006 / 106 Minutes / Unrated


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