It is possible to be too popular

News Headline: “Bush concerned over possibility of Civil War”

EC’s First Reaction “Does he mean in the U.S. or somewhere else?”

(Maybe it is the lack of sleep talking but I really didn’t want to click on the article to read the rest of it.)

Ok, while I did not see Snakes on a Plane this weekend I really feel a need to talk about it. Because this is probably one of the best examples of an internet phenomenon going big and failing under its own weight. The box office results were rather disappointing. It was the number one film in the country but it barely beat out Talledega Nights (a film that has been out for several weeks) and doesn’t appear to have much legs to stand on. Which given the publicity the film had received prior to launch is rather surprising. That is, unless you understand the way the internet mindset works.

See, the film first started getting a buzz on some web sites mainly because of the concept. I mean, the film is called Snakes on a Plane, which is so dumb it becomes brilliant, and stars Samuel L. Jackson, who you immediately begin imagining at his foul mouthed best. You know there is going to be absolutely no plot other than what is explained in the title so everyone creates a great number of one liners riffing on the subject. As a result, everyone laughs and is really into the movie even though they haven’t seen or heard anything about it.

Then the mainstream press starts catching on and they start talking about the film. And here is where things change. Part of the appeal of the internet is that it is still this underground community. You can still get that feeling that you are part of a select few who understand just how cool something is. But once that meme crosses over into popular culture it suddenly isn’t cool any more. It’s great when I make a Snakes on a Plane reference, when my mom understands it then it really has lost all meaning.

And that’s what happened here. The movie received so much buzz that all the people who were so into it six months ago decided not to go because of the fact that everyone else knows about it. You can’t be a cult hit with a national advertising campaign. You’re not an underground sensation when the logo is plastered on billboards. It is one of those odd things about life, when something becomes very popular it suddenly becomes uncool.

And as a result, I really hope that Ask a Ninja remains this little gem of the internet that only I know of. What, you don’t know about Ask a Ninja? Well, it’s kind of like Wikipedia except that you, well, ask a ninja. It’s as simple as that.