Anaconda

I headed into this 2025 reimagining of ANACONDA - not a remake! - with a mix of cautious optimism and a heavy dose of nostalgia for the 1997 original. Having followed Tom Gormican's knack for meta-humor, I was curious to see if he could successfully transplant that self-aware energy into a creature feature. What I found was a film that thrives when it leans into its own absurdity, particularly through a movie-within-a-movie satire that mirrors the chaotic, often delusional passion of indie filmmaking. The central dynamic between Paul Rudd and Jack Black is the undeniable heartbeat of the experience; their natural chemistry makes the midlife-crisis subtext feel surprisingly grounded amidst the jungle mayhem. However, the true scene-stealer i...

Perhaps if theyd screened the first version of this story from 1997 followed by the whole of Quatch then I might have better appreciated this Sony reboot of the story? Then again, maybe not. Right from the start, we know that there is a giant snake at large and so when recently fired bit-part actor Griff (Paul Rudd) suggests to his Quatch co-star, wedding video director Doug (Jack Black) that he has acquired the rights to remake Anaconda - only without Eric Stolz, they leap at the opportunity and set off with pals Claire (Thandiwe Newton); Kenny (Steve Zahn) and slightly less than ten thousand bucks. Before they even manage to embark on their boat, though, they find themselves caught up in some local gold smuggling shenanigans thanks to Ana...