No one would mistake the original Anaconda for a great film. Still, it is hard to deny the schlocky charm of the 1997 creature feature, whether it comes from the oversized snake, the stacked cast or Jon Voight’s, shall we say, memorable performance. The film went on to become a surprisingly durable direct-to-video franchise throughout the 2000s, even spawning a crossover with another 1990s creature feature, Lake Placid.
The 2025 reboot of Anaconda takes a markedly different approach by leaning fully into meta-comedy. The Tropic Thunder-style concept is appealing in theory. In practice, however, the execution proved inconsistent and frequently hit or miss.
Since their childhood days, making no-budget movies for fun, best friends Doug, played by Jack Black, and Grif, played by Paul Rudd, have dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. That dream has not aged well. Doug, held back by fear of taking risks, now directs wedding videos. Grif did make it to Hollywood, but only as a background actor, with his biggest credit being a minor recurring role on S.W.A.T..
“The best moments in Anaconda come when the film focuses on a group of well-meaning misfits who fully believe in the movie they are making.”
When the pair reunite at Doug’s birthday party, Grif presents an unusual proposition. He claims to have purchased the rights to Anaconda and suggests reuniting their old crew to travel to the Amazon and shoot a reboot, straightforwardly titled The Anaconda. Doug and Grif recruit two more former friends. Kenny, played by Steve Zahn, is dim-witted but enthusiastic, while Claire, played by Thandiwe Newton, is Grif’s former flame and intended co-star.
Production quickly unravels when the trained snake intended for filming is lost. The group ventures deeper into the jungle in search of a replacement, only to discover that reality is far more dangerous than fiction. Their shoot turns into a fight for survival when they encounter a genuine, man-eating giant anaconda.
The best moments in Anaconda come when the film focuses on a group of well-meaning misfits who fully believe in the movie they are making, despite being wildly out of their depth and despite the reality that few people genuinely care about the Anaconda franchise. Frankly, I would have preferred the entire film to commit to that premise. One standout gag comes when Doug shares his latest rewrites, which attempt to inject social commentary. Grif responds by telling him he has the potential to become the “white Jordan Peele,” a line that lands especially well.
“I found myself genuinely charmed by the chemistry among the core quartet.”
Although much of the humour relies on Jack Black and Paul Rudd leaning into their familiar comedic rhythms, I found myself genuinely charmed by the chemistry among the core quartet. That dynamic works particularly well when bouncing off Steve Zahn’s unpredictable energy. The film’s true scene-stealer, however, is Brazilian actor Selton Mello, who brings memorable eccentricity to the role of the group’s snake handler.
Once the story pivots toward survival against the giant killer snake, the humour becomes far less consistent. There is only so much variation possible with the creature itself, and it is not as though the original film’s kill scenes were especially inventive. One extended gag involving a character urinating on another overstays its welcome, even if it drew laughs from the audience around me. The film also leans into several callbacks to the original, which worked better than I expected.
Where the film stumbles most noticeably is in the moments when it attempts to take itself seriously. A poorly integrated subplot involving Daniela Melchior as the crew’s boat captain, who is secretly fleeing criminals searching for hidden gold, feels shoehorned into the narrative. The storyline exists largely to increase the snake’s body count and does little else. As a result, it feels like a significant underuse of Melchior’s abilities.
If you are looking for a harmlessly silly night at the movies, the new Anaconda is a serviceable option. There are a few solid laughs throughout. Still, I would argue the original Anaconda is the funnier film, largely because it never tries to be. That said, I do appreciate the idea of revisiting lesser-loved movies and giving them a fresh creative swing. Maybe we’ll see a Ghost Ship reboot next.
