I’m admittedly a bit late to the Snakes on a Plane blog party, but the film’s poster has finally released, causing more than a few raised eyebrows among the self-appointed cultural commentators of the blogosphere.

There’s been a lot of attention heaped on this movie — about an FBI agent (Samuel L. Jackson) assigned to protect a witness in a murder trial, and the Mob boss who attempts to kill said witness, via titular manner, during a flight over the Pacific — because of its deliciously pokerfaced Teflon title, and almost all of it sight-unseen. Now, on the heels of its first teaser trailers comes the poster for Snakes on a Plane, though, which bows August 18 from distributor New Line, and I’m not sure that it really works. Shouldn’t the title be ironic counterpoint to what is otherwise a deadly straightforward concept pitch? This poster doesn’t seem to be that.

1997’s Anaconda gathered Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson, Ice Cube and Eric Stoltz, among others (think of that cast in the same film now!), but it wasn’t until after the movie opened, mid-spring, that audiences discovered the unhinged delights of Jon Voight’s performance, during which he at one point actually winks after being regurgitated by a giant snake. Would selling the movie with a wink have increased its $130 million worldwide haul, split almost evenly between domestically and abroad? Unlikely, as kitschy products — movies inclusive — have a short shelf life when birthed honestly but additional cachet when discovered more organically. Audiences enjoy feeling smarter, collectively and individually, than a movie like Snakes on a Plane, and trying to lure in a crowd not predisposed and programmed to its tongue in cheek tone could have the opposite effect of dampening viral enthusiasm. So has Snakes on a Plane peaked? We’ll see, time will tell. But it feels like it.

In the meantime, by all means, click over to their web site for more on the movie, including wallpapers and desktop icons. No free snakes, though. What bullshit...