Are B-Movies Going Mainstream?

On August 19, 2006, a new action/horror movie will be released in the cinemas. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, it’s getting a worldwide release, and it has generated a great deal of Internet buzz that hasn’t been seen since The Blair Witch Project. The movie is called Snakes on a Plane. It’s about snakes on a plane. Seriously, that’s the literal title. In it, Samuel L. Jackson has to battle… snakes… on a plane… no joke.

Let’s not kid ourselves here: this movie is, quite simply, a b-movie. It’s a stupid idea, which makes it great at the same time! The only reason it’s not going straight-to-video is because it stars Jackson, who took the role for the title alone. And the only reason the film is getting a wider release in theatres is due to the about of people talking about it on the Internet. This is clearly a b-movie entering into the mainstream. Is this a good thing? Actually, no.

You might think that as a b-movie enthusiast I would be excited about a movie like Snakes on a Plane getting a wider release, but I’m not. Don’t get me wrong; I’m looking forward to seeing Snakes on a Plane as much as the next guy. But this could be a bad thing for the b-movie genre. It could, in fact, ruin b-movies.

See, b-movies have a certain charm about them. They usually never get much of a theatrical release, so they’re usually left on the rental shelves to be discovered. And there isn’t a better feeling than browsing the rental store, picking out a title where you have no idea what to expect, and falling in love with what ends up being a beautiful piece of cinematic trash. It’s not just about watching b-movies, it’s discovering them that makes it that much more enjoyable. Other b-movies are b-movies by accident, which are often the more memorable of the genre. B-movies are kind of like indie music bands; you discover one and it only has a handful of cult fans, so if feels like you’ve discovered something special and you want to keep it to yourself. But when a mass of people discovers it and become fans, thus entering it into the mainstream, it doesn’t feel as special.

That’s what I feel what’s going to happen with Snakes on a Plane; because of the wide release that it will receive, everyone’s gonna discover it, a lot of people are probably gonna like it, and may actually become a bit box office hit; therefore it will lose its potential b-movie status. It’s a b-movie getting the A-list treatment. As far as I’m concerned, when that happens, it’s not a b-movie. Sure, it might become a bit of a cult film, but that doesn’t mean it will become a b-movie. A b-movie and a cult movie are two very different things, though they often cross paths… but that’s beside the point.

If Snakes on a Plane becomes the big box office hit many analysts are expecting it to be, it could be a bad sign for the b-movie genre. Though the odd b-movie has been given an A-list treatment, it has never been as big as what Snakes on a Plane will get. And that worries me. This deserves to be a b-movie, but instead will likely be a blockbuster hit. If that happens, this could lead to other potential b-movies getting a wide release, which would destroy their b-movie status, and could hurt the genre. I’m not saying that it will ruin the b-movie genre outright, but it will make it a lot tougher to discover one.

B-movies should not be blockbuster hits, and should not be given a wide theatrical release. That’s not what makes it a b-movie. They belong on the shelves of rental stores, the bottom of the barrel if you will, where they collect dust and get rented out once in a blue moon. They are better off getting discovered by accident, rather than forced down our throats. That’s what makes a b-movie really special; it’s what makes you appreciate it. Leave the b-movies alone, and just send them to the rental stores or the bargain bins, so that they can be discovered on their own. Otherwise, it’s not a b-movie.