Anaconda: A Forgettable Meta Adventure in the Jungle

Anaconda is a meta comedy reboot of the 1997 guilty pleasure favourite of the same name and is this time led by Paul Rudd and Jack Black. Setting the stage, childhood best friends Griff (Rudd) and Doug (Black) have always dreamed of remaking ‘Anaconda’, their all time favorite film, but life, money, and other struggles always seemed to get in the way of them from doing so. Spurned by their respective mid life crises, the friends are pushed to finally go for it, assembling their lifelong friends Kenny (Zahn), Claire (Thandiwe Newton), as well as, snake handler Santiago (Selton Mello), and boat guide Ana (Daniela Melchior) to head deep into the jungles of the Amazon to start filming their dream film. However, after Griff accidentally kills their trained Anaconda, life soon begins to imitate art as a real life gigantic anaconda with a thirst for blood starts hunting them down and eating them. Delivering a decently entertaining time at the movies, it is also one that is unlikely to remain with audiences as soon as the credits roll.

That being said, it is hard to not give Anaconda some credit for taking the premise of the original film in a completely different direction, rather than resorting to yet another beat-for-beat retread, unlike so many reboots nowadays. The meta take on the film proved to be a great choice, keeping the film fun and fresh, also acting as a subtle commentary on the current state of the film industry and Hollywood’s obsession with IPs. Similarly, the action is as entertaining, complimented by a great soundtrack, all within an efficient 99-minute runtime. Rudd and Black are in fine form, each offering up dependable comedic performances, the latter toned down compared to his recent work. The cast as a whole have strong chemistry, with Zahn and Mello being the standouts, being responsible for the film’s biggest laughs.

Unfortunately, those who have seen any of the trailers, or other video promotional material, have essentially seen the entire film. Besides what has already been shown, there is not much else to be had, other than the sequences the trailers have already spoiled. One element spared from the trailers is Melchior’s Ana, largely due to the character being reduced to near irrelevancy on the cutting room floor. Though a comedy first and foremost, the film is not all that funny outside of a few big moments otherwise, it falls flat more often than not. Offering little in the way of surprises, its CGI is also widely inconsistent, leading to its titular giant anaconda being not nearly as much as it should have been. Meanwhile, the film limits it even further by keeping its carnage and body count to a minimum. Even then, the sequences where it does show the anaconda in action happen to not be particularly well shot or directed.

Anaconda is a mixed bag to say the absolute least but in spite of its flaws, the film still provides enough entertainment for audiences who want something different from their standard holiday fare. Above all else, for those simply looking for some Christmas counterprogramming, something where they could simply turn their brains off and let Paul Rudd and Jack Black entertain them for almost 100-minutes, then this may be for them. Geared more towards a large and rowdy crowd, it may be far from the worst film ever made, but it is still a very forgettable one, failing to lean nearly enough into the original film’s horror and creature feature roots. If anything, the reboot does feature at least some fun cameos, while setting up what could be a much better potential sequel, should this film be successful over the course of another crowded holiday season at the movies.

still courtesy of Columbia Pictures

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Connor Carey

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