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http://www.onmilwaukee.com/buzz/omcetc/articles/snakeshype.html
So "Snakes On A Plane" mania has come and went. Even though the movie is still in theatres, the hype has died down considerably after the opening weekend. Studio execs who were thinking they had the surprise hit of the summer were greeted with a $15.2 million debut; which is solid but not spectacular for a movie that cost roughly $30 million to make.
The film, which stars Samuel L Jackson as an FBI agent trying to protect passengers from hundreds of poisonous snakes onboard a flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles, has been receiving huge word of mouth buzz on the Internet since the start of the year. The Internet has been largely responsible for the hype, with sites like snakesonablog.com and OkayPlayer.com's Pass The Popcorn leading the way. There were SoaP related cartoons, t-shirts, songs and mock trailers floating around cyberspace before there was even an official poster from the studio.
The hype largely centered around the so-simple-it's-brilliant title of the film. Earlier this spring, it was reported that much of the film had been re-shot to make the film more graphic, including new dialogue that would become the film's signature line that was based on parodies found on the net.
People expected SoaP to revolutionize Hollywood. For the first time, fans had directly impacted the product they would see on screen. The expected success of SoaP would lead to a brave new world, where fans and studio brass alike would be able to see their suggestions become a reality.
But shock of shocks, it turns out the blogosphere isn't a $30 million machine. It's one thing to hype something on the Internet, where people with too much spare time and no real ambition (like myself) are free to essentially do whatever. But it's another for Hollywood types to get suckered in and try and turn SoaP (a fun, bad-ass way to spend your nine bucks) into some symbol of a new age. It has Keenan from "Good Burger," Champ Kind from "Anchorman," and Flex as a metrosexual rapper. How could that possibly change anything, especially in an industry that's been run by the same suits since the 1920s?
As one of the many who have been hyping SoaP since they first found out about it, I'm almost glad it didn't become a big hit. Once the hype is removed, you're left with a good, violent romp to take your mind off your troubles, and one of the best in-theater experiences you're likely to find all year.
Let the people who get paid to do so worry about trends and how to capitalize on the growing influence of the Internet. In the meantime, "Snakes On A Plane" is playing at a theater near you. I suggest you go see it for what it is. ------
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Twitter: @tyrcasey
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