Snakes on a ... well... you know...

As the "Snakes on a Plane" internet phenomenon embraces the actual release of the movie, the press is having fun with it. Can a movie with this much internet hype be any good? I have no idea, as I haven't seen it yet, but hope to before the week is out. I could have gone to an early showing Thursday evening, but decided to be a grownup and not go to a movie that would get me home after midnight. It has Samuel Jackson. And snakes. On a Plane. What's not to love? (CNN loved it.)

This article from Salon (you may have to watch an ad to read it) has an intriguing interview with an actual anaconda expert (who has, in fact, transported snakes on a plane). I'm afraid of many things (dogs, spiders, bees...) but not snakes, so I found it fascinating.

My favorite bit (linked but not shown because it contains the infamous mother line not suitable for work and children) is the Harry Potter crossover icon: Harry Potter and Snakes on a Plane!

EDIT: I got out to see this on Saturday, and it was fun. Not a great movie, by any means, but a solid homage to the disaster movies of the seventies. It was funny when it meant to be, and they covered at least some details (like different venoms having different effects) that I hadn't expected. It begs to be MST3K'd, though. The matinee audience was sparse, and for once I didn't mind people commenting on the film - I was too. It was all in good fun.

I gather that SoaP hasn't made the kind of money they were hoping, despite the massive internet buzz. I'm put in mind of another movie with a lot of fan/internet support (Serenity) that didn't do nearly as well as we all thought it would. I wonder if there's something to be learned from this, perhaps that internet buzz != ticket sales. I have no idea why, though.