Hyping the hyperbole

I do not understand. The crazy uproar of apparent demand for Snakes on a Plane seems incredible. Any one with a television or Internet connection will likely have heard of this movie. Is it perhaps the draw of Samuel L. Jackson ? He's not exactly the best actor on the planet, but I suppose he has a certain appeal for some roles. Is it the snakes? Snake movies don't usually translate well to the silver screen. It has to be the plane right? Plane movies are some of the best kind of movie - right?

The Internet and media hype surrounding this movie are incredible. It has gotten to the point of fans doing their own videos and promotion. Perhaps I'm too old to to appreciate pop culture now and I'm wrong about this movie. Surely the revenue from the box office will show the true appeal of this film? Perhaps we should ask the critics what they thought (not that they are really a great way of finding out if a movie is good or not)?

I'm not trying to take away the pleasure or enjoyment of this movie; by all means go see it. I do tire of others trying to convince me that it's 'so bad, it's good'. I like b-movies, but this summer has been even slower than last summer; I think you need a minimum of 1 A movie before you can send out the B team.

Of course no one will admit to having not enjoyed Snakes on a Plane, since you clearly know what kind of awful movie you're getting. Imagine if you thought you were going to see a b-movie, and it wasn't "so bad it was good", it was just bad. I'm not talking Evil Dead bad (note: Bruce Campbell is awesome) as that would be really good, but it was just flat out bad.

I am reminded of a great quote from Type O Negative: "Don't mistake lack of talent for genius". This was directed towards Nirvana, but I believe it applies here too. Hype is only that and doesn't translate to good movie making (or revenue for the companies that make them). Now it is unfair that I make such judgements before seeing the movie, and I will likely see it on DVD, but as to spending 13 to see it in a movie theatre with people who can't shut up, or hold their pee, or just sit and watch a flic (aka. "ants in the pants").

I'm sure I'll feel the wrath of the SoaP groupies.