I don't know in what sense the word was used by RRA, but one thing I know is that the hype for Snakes on a Plane was started and sustained by internet forums. Its growing popularity before its release was largely by word of mouth. But the problem was no had seen its preview or anything. The punchline by Samuel Jackson is funny indeed, and that was the only thing people knew before watching it. That it turned out bad (IMHO) is not shocking. The director had made 'cellular' and 'Final destination 2' before this. Neither of them are considered great works. What then was the rationale behind extra hype? Plane load of snakes? Samuel Jackson's dialogue? So the hype was negative in a way. Liking the movie after watching it is not negative. It is a matter of taste. I guess.