Platypuschow
2002 was not a great movie year, being a big ol'nerd I like analytics and 2002 is right down there on the yearly rankings.This was a pick and mix movie and I was happy to immediatly see William Katt on the credits, this is an underrated actor who is among my favorites.It tells the story of a group of tourists who get stuck on "Snake Island". And in a really unpredictable turn of events they gradually get picked off by *Drumroll* snakes!It's main flaw is the lack of consistency, is it a horror or a comedy? It flits from serious to silly within the space of a single scene. In fact some scenes are so ridiculous it pretty much flatlines the entire film.The wildlife shots are great, Katt is on form and the film certainly has its moments but I'm left feeling they perhaps should have just gone all out and made this a comedy film.Forgettable nonsense.The Good:Some fantastic wildlife footageWilliam KattThe Bad:Gets a bit silly in placesCliched to hellThings I Learnt From This Movie:If you have a phobia of snakes it makes perfect sense to go to a place called Snake IslandIt's not a party until a girl randomly takes her clothes offIf you need to hunt and kill innocent creatures to get a happy, start with yourself
Chase_Witherspoon
A tour-boat operator (Crawford) inadvertently leads his horny human cargo into the den of an island inhabited by ferocious snakes. Party member and author (Katt) discovers that not only is there an over-abundance of snakes on the island (a fact that should have obviated from the name of the resort, which shares the film's somewhat conspicuous title), but a hex on any human who has trespassed. So, after some sight-seeing (an elephant threesome being the highlight), a disco-party complete with drunken three-way striptease and some sexual content (butt-in-the-moonbeam-walk), our peripheral characters become prey, and Crawford, Katt and Connor are left to contend with the aggressive asps.Director, producer, co-writer and co-star Crawford dons many hats for this picture, which looks like it's shot on a hand-held home video camera. Despite some apparent TV-movie production values, the dialogue is mostly realistic, the core cast is professional and the special effects aren't bad. Post-production editing effects create the "illusion" of the plethora of snakes converging on characters, and is done effectively. There's an occasional shock, and some mild gore (is that a tongue protruding from that cadaver's gaping orifice? – no, wait, it's just a baby snake waking up), and perhaps more critically when faced with tired ideas and cheap-looking set design – nudity.When everything else is dear, there's still inexperienced actresses willing to bare all for the sake of art, and their career. Most of the female cast here reveal themselves to some degree, and actor, director, producer, writer Crawford, naturally, scores some residual benefits of such titillation. One could only postulate that Katt was lured into this production with the promise of the African safari holiday, and although the picture was shot on location, the savanna isn't always realistic looking, but perhaps that's the Super-8 camera lens cheating the eye of natural wonders. Aside from the occasional lame joke (the snake hallucination scene is admittedly quirky and unexpected, but ultimately, it's a dud gag) and plot hole, "Snake Island" delivers on its promise of lots (and lots) of snakes, cheap thrills and a conventional narrative to satisfy the average punter. Noteworthy, is the surprisingly clean screenplay with not an f-bomb in ear-shot (nevermind, it's the T&A that earn the R-rating, anyway).
Michael_Elliott
Snake Island (2002) ** (out of 4)Another "nature strikes back" flick this time set on, you guessed it, Snake Island. A group of strangers get stuck on the island when they learn that it has a reputation of being infested by various deadly snakes. One by one the guests are picked off. This certainly isn't a masterpiece of the genre but if you're a fan of these nature movies then you'll probably want to check this one out. I'm personally terrified of snakes so that causes me to be creeped out by movies like this whereas others might just roll their eyes and move on. Overall this isn't the best movie out there but there are several pluses to be had here. For starters, the performances are all rather good and makes for some nice characters. Director Crawford is good as the tour guide and William Katt turns in fine work as an author. Both men are clearly the best of the cast but the supporting players aren't too bad either. Real, rubber and CGI snakes are used throughout the film with the real ones working the best. The CGI ones are incredibly fake looking but they're certainly more realistic than those seen in something like PYTHON or its sequel. The attacks are all rather tame in terms of lack of violence and gore but I didn't have a problem with this as the director at least tries to build them up around suspense instead of the red stuff. What doesn't work with the film is its 95-minute running time, which was a tad bit long as the film starts to wear off its welcome after the hour mark. Another negative is an incredibly stupid snake dance half way through the picture. The director does throw male viewers some nudity, which I'm sure plenty will enjoy. If you're not a fan of this genre then I doubt this movie will turn you into a fan.
Noah Calhoun
If you're lookin' for a snake movie, this one's where it's at. It's got William Katt, Jake Speed, plenty of laughs and some hot naked chicks mixing it up. There hasn't been a hotter snake movie since the lesbian scene at the beginning of the first Python...check it out!