I know we’ve beat this horse to death, but I wanted to direct you guys to an article that Owen Gleiberman from Entertainment Weekly wrote concerning Snakes on a Plane, it’s box office performance and the role of marketing in modern film – specifically as it relates to the internet.

Owen does a great job of addressing some of the very same concerns I had, but phrases them in a much more thought out way. He does this by citing the last great internet-by-means-of-marketing success story The Blair Witch Project and drawing comparisons to Snakes on a Plane forthwith. He draws the line between marketing’s siren song and the organic need to see a film of your own accord.

This was part of the debate I tried to generate. At what point do we become slaves to the buzz we create and at what point does genuine interest dictate the success of a film? Or, as Owen puts it, what do we sacrifice when fans turn themselves into marketers so they can be at the center of the action?

If you’re interested in getting a little extra insight on my position on Snakes on a Plane, Owen’s article comes from the same place I was.