This past weekend, I did the inevitable. I forked over $11.25 to go see Snakes on a Plane. At midnight. Let me assure you, in case you had any doubt: this movie delivers on every level that you hope it will. Yes, it’s horrible–but in all the ways that B movies are supposed to be horrible. The plot is hokey, and so simple that it could’ve been written by a 5th grader. Nearly all of the secondary characters are throwaway stereotypes. There’s a gratuitous sex scene. And there’s more corny horror-style violence than you can shake a stick at. But that’s what you paid for, right?

The best part is, you get a little more than you bargained for. Samuel L. Jackson really anchors the film, with both his toughness and his sense of comic timing. He makes you believe that he’s in command of this ridiculous situation, and in so doing, makes it all seem a little less ridiculous. There are some genuinely hilarious lines, and there’s some real suspense. Jackson also gets surprisingly good support from Julianna Marguiles (as Claire, the flight attendant with a heart of gold), pilot David Koechner, who you will recognize as the cowboy hat-wearing sportscaster from Anchorman, and the underappreciated Todd Louiso, who played the shy record store geek in all of us in High Fidelity.
I could wax poetic about some of the unexpected places snakes will show up on this plane, but that would only spoil some delightful moments of squealing for you. Do you need to see this movie? Probably not. It’s an in-joke, and you’re already in on it. But if you want to practice a little escapism this weekend, go for it. You should see it in a packed theater, where the collective excitement of the audience will only add to your enjoyment. For once, you won’t have to care about the rowdy people yelling at the screen. Heck–you might even be one of them.

–Melanie Shrawder

See Samuel L. Jackson talking to Jon Stewart about Snakes on a Plane on The Daily Show. His unadulterated joy is infectious.

Check out Slate’s review of Snakes on a Plane, which takes the bold slant that it’s allegory for attitudes toward terrorism and air travel in a post-9/11 world.