5.8 | / 10 |
| Users | 0.0 | |
| Reviewer | 4.0 | |
| Overall | 4.0 |
When a young man witnesses a brutal mob murder, it falls to FBI agent Neville Flynn to escort his charge safely from Hawaii to Los Angeles to testify. But in an act of self-preservation, the crime boss facing prison smuggles hundreds of poisonous snakes onto the commercial aircraft in a crate timed to release its deadly cargo halfway over the Pacific. Flynn, along with a frightened flight crew and passengers, must then band together in a desperate attempt to survive.
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Julianna Margulies, Nathan Phillips, Bobby Cannavale, Flex Alexander| Thriller | Uncertain |
| Horror | Uncertain |
| Action | Uncertain |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (B, C untested)
| Movie | 4.0 | |
| Video | 4.5 | |
| Audio | 4.5 | |
| Extras | 3.5 | |
| Overall | 4.0 |
There are relatively few films that attain at least some of their renown based on a single line of dialogue, but Snakes on a Plane is probably forever going to be toward the top of any list aggregating such entries. There's quite a bit of lore available for enterprising internet sleuths on Samuel L. Jackson's infamous pronouncement of just exactly how he's reached his limit, and probably unsurprisingly some of the bounteous supplements Arrow has included with this release get into that specific line as well. Of course, Jackson's fed up pronouncement is meme worthy, but in a way, this entire film is kind of a 90 minute meme in the making.


Note: Arrow provided a check disc for this 1080 release, and I am once again assuming that the packaging for this resolution matches that
of Arrow's 4K UHD release, including the insert booklet, which offers technical information more geared toward the 4K format.
Snakes on a Plane is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Arrow's insert booklet
has
the following information on the presentation:
Snakes on a Plane has been restored by Arrow Films and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1 with 5.1 audio.Based solely on the admittedly questionable technique of screenshot comparison, there really doesn't look like there's a huge difference between this version and the Warner Brothers 1080 release from years ago, at least in terms of general color temperature and detailing (again, as revealed through screenshots). I'm perhaps marginally more pleased with the overall appearance than Marty was with the Warner Brothers release, but that may also be due to an improved master from Arrow this time out. All of the pluses Marty mentions in his review are still very much in evidence here, and frankly, so are a few of the minuses, including less than effective CGI and some deficits in shadow detail as the story starts to get literally darker and darker. Grain is generally very tightly resolved, but can look a bit rough in the darkest moments.
The film is presented in 4K resolution in HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
The original 2K DI data was restored in 4K resolution and color graded at Duplitech.
All materials source for this new master were made available by Warner Bros.
QC review was completed by Pixelogic.

Snakes on a Plane features a fun DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that I suspect is quite similar to the old Warner Brothers 1080 release's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 audio, though I evidently am a bit more of a fan of the surround activity on the track than Marty may have been. While there are some standout scenes that almost overwhelm with effects erupting from the side and rear channels in particular (Marty mentions one toward the end of the film which is pretty spectacular), even some of the pre-attack scenes in the airplane offer smart placement of background ambient environmental effects that rather evocatively detail that clamor of a commercial flight. Some of the hissing snake effects can feature at least some panning, which can increase angst levels significantly. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

- Commentary by Max Evry & Bryan Reesman
- Commentary by Cast & Crew

Snakes on a Plane virtually announces its silliness in its very title, and the good news is the film has absolutely no pretensions to be anything other than what it is. This 4K release offers secure technical merits and some appealing supplements. Recommended.