Synopsis

An FBI agent escorts a key witness from Honolulu to Los Angeles, but their flight becomes a deadly trap when criminals release hundreds of venomous snakes aboard the aircraft. As panic spreads through the cabin, the agent, crew, and passengers must improvise against the reptiles while trying to keep the plane in the air and the witness alive.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was briefly developed under the title "Pacific Air 121," but the original title was restored after Samuel L. Jackson objected. He reportedly accepted the project partly because of the unusually direct title.

• Internet users began discussing and parodying the film long before its release. New Line Cinema responded to the attention with five days of additional shooting, adding more violence, gore, profanity, and material aimed at the online audience.

• The reshoots helped move the film from a planned PG-13 release to an R rating.

• The famous line about being finished with "these motherfucking snakes" was added during the reshoot period and became the movie's signature piece of dialogue.

• The production used a combination of live snakes and computer-generated imagery. The visual effects work included digital snakes and many of the exterior shots of the aircraft.

• Filming took place primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia, despite the story beginning in Hawaii and traveling toward Los Angeles.

• The movie became an early example of Internet fan enthusiasm visibly affecting a studio production and its marketing strategy.

• It was released theatrically in the United States on August 18, 2006, and later developed a cult reputation as a knowingly over-the-top creature-feature thriller.