There was a ssspecial sssneak preview of "Sssnakes on a Plane" tonight at 10 p.m. My wife refused to even consider going to the movie with me. In fact, I couldn't find anybody willing to go see it with me.

I know, just the title of this film seems ridiculous. The timing of its release wasn't exactly perfect with the recent "liquid" explosives story coming out of England. But, all in all, this was an enjoyable night at the movies, if you don't mind jumping out of your seat a few times.

THE PLOT

This fun-loving surfer/off-road biker type in Hawaii, Sean Jones (Nathan Phillips) has his vacation interrupted when he accidentally sees a major mobster brutally kill a prosecutor. He gets away from the bad guys but they find out who he is and try to kill him. Special FBI Agemt Nelville Flynn (Samuel Jackson) saves his life and then persuades him to fly back to Los Angeles to testify against the mobster.

The mobster manages to find out which plane Jones is on and also somehow manages to get dozens of rare poisonous states in the cargo hold of the plane.

Before all the fun starts, we meet the flight crew and passengers. The head flight attendant, Claire Miller, (Julianna Margulis) is on her last flight before going to law school. There is a lecherous co-pilot, a gay male flight attendant, a knockout blond attendant and the usual variety of passengers on the plane: two small boys flying by themselves, a famous rapper, Three G's (Flex Alexander) and his two bodyguards (I thought his name was Three Cheese at first), a newlywed couple, a sex-crazed couple, a grumpy businessman and a kickboxer. Also, a somewhat ditsy blonde somehow manages to carry her obnoxious Chihuahua into the passenger section.

Director David Ellis ("Cellular" and "Final Destination 2") doesn't waste much time getting to main reason for seeing this film: SNAKES ON A PLANE. I won't ruin the story anymore but the ridiculous premise is somehow made plausible by Ellis and his screenwriters, John Hefferman and Sebastian Gutierrez.

For the last 80% of the film, we get to witness a variety of the world's most dangerous reptiles slither around the plane, fall out of compartments, interrupt a bathroom sexual encounter, and generally raise holy hell on the plane.

WHAT MADE THIS FILM ENJOYABLE TO ME

Although it was fairly late for a weeknight showing, there was a pretty good audience. And, it was my fellow strangers who made the movie even more enjoyable than it was. Several people screamed out loud (not unusual) but others actual jumped out of their seats as though they were afraid snakes were on the theater floor.

In fact, throughout the film, the audience screamed but quickly started laughing. The movie is not meant to be a comedy but there are several humorous events shown throughout the film.

The cinematography by Adam Greenberg adds just the right creepy touches and stunt coordinator Annie Ellis along with an enormous crew provide a thrill-a-minute ride through the snake-infested plane. Director David Ellis was actually a stuntman and stunt coordinator for years before he started directing and I assume that Annie Ellis is related to him.

WHY GO TO THIS FILM

First of all, unless the mere sight of snakes makes you ill, this is an exciting, if somewhat incredible, tale. The action is hot and heavy and the special effects are tremendous.

It is also amazing to me that Samuel Jackson even made this film. Although it is far from a realistic story, Jackson is once again the consummate professional in his role. Jackson has made over 100 movies from "A Time to Kill" to "Pulp Fiction" and he always delivers a great performance. Julianna Margulis has recently starred on "The Sopranos" after being on "ER" for years.

Finally, this is a film that is worth watching if you can suspend your "reality" mindset for 90+ minutes. I don't think it will win any awards but it was fun to watch.

Ultimately I am reminded of the effect that "Rocky Horror Show" had on me. It's not really that this film has the same tongue-in-cheek satirical humor but the premise is so goofy while the performances are so serious, that my main reaction to the movie was laughter.

FOUR STARS

Recommended: Yes

Movie Mood: Funny Movie
Viewing Method: Sneak Preview at My Local Theater
Film Completeness: Looked complete to me.