it’s the kind of movie you’ll either see, or you won’t. Or you won’t want to see, but you will, in an effort to feed your phobia and freak-yourself-out even more. Samuel L Jackson is an FBI agent escorting a witness (Sean Jones) from Hawaii to LAX, so that he can testify against a mobster, involved in a murder. As though the two don’t have enough to worry about in a six hour flight that includes a narcissist rapper, a Paris Hilton look-a-like, a snotty business man, two unaccompanied kids and a honeymooning couple etc., the plane also comes equipped with life rafts, a light snack, a stewardess (Julianna Margulies) and poisonous snakes, not necessarily in that order. This is the kind of movie you go in thinking ‘it is what it is’ but on few occasions come out saying ‘wow!’ That’s because like the snakes on board, the plot twists, turns and slithers, delivering surprising moments to a satisfying conclusion. But beyond that, it’s got a human element that makes us care about these characters, something many modern thrillers seem to overlook, as movies get gimmick-heavy. This is like ‘Poseidon Adventure” with the snakes replacing the ocean, on a plane, instead of a boat. It really works. And in the end, unlike the passengers, you won’t go home feeling poisoned. Four tiaras
