I stayed up late tonight and headed down to Block E , just a stone's throw away from my newish place in Minneapolis, to check out the 10pm Thursday night opening of Snakes on a Plane.

The theatre was fairly packed, though not full, with a bunch of dorks like myself who have been eagerly awaiting the release. Some people even dressed in costume for the premiere, with best costume going to 2 guys dressed in pilot suits with snakes around their neck. (The crowd cheered when they entered the room. And rightfully so.)

The movie is pretty much what I expected - intentionally cheezy. Cheezy, but not campy - see, I had expected the movie to be campy, but it wasn't that at all. Instead, it mocks other movies, albeit somewhat surreptitiously at times. For that reason, I think that you have to have a certain appreciation for how truly bad some movie genres (action, horror, romance) can really be. If you've never rolled your eyes during a supposedly-serious movie and said "oh give me a break," then Snakes on a Plane is not for you. (Or maybe it is; maybe you'll think that it's just neat-o.)

I would definitely recommend seeing SoaP in a packed theatre, preferably on opening weekend. A raucous crowd that "gets it" is what makes the movie enjoyable. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I should mention that we spent a fair amount of time at this fine establishement before attending the showing, so perhaps my opinions are a bit influenced. ;-)

This movie isn't going to win any awards, and I doubt that it will be even watchable on a home theatre system. But if you're looking for a fun night out this weekend, and if you can have fun laughing at the cheeziness of things like snakes latching on to appendanges dangled above the latrine, then check out Snakes on a Plane. If you get the right crowd, you won't be sorry that you did.