Anaconda

This new version of Anaconda is sold as a horror comedy meant to make us laugh while also fearing its iconic villain, the giant snake. The truth is that the film isn't a complete disaster, but it falls well short of what it promises.

Anaconda starts on the wrong foot. Daniela Melchior, a Portuguese actress I genuinely like, is cast as a Brazilian character, complete with an accent that caused more secondhand embarrassment than immersion. It makes you wonder if Brazilian actors are so rare that the production simply gave up looking. It's a baffling decision that feels lazy and poorly thought out.

Narratively, the film takes far too long to get going. A large portion of the runtime is spent debating whether the characters will film a remake of Anaconda in the Amazon. We already know they will. That's the premise. All this buildup is pointless and exhausting, and at least half of it could have been cut without harming the film. Only when the story finally reaches the Amazon does it gain a bit of momentum.

Even then, the scenes with the Anaconda, which should be the film's main attraction, are rarely tense. The mix of comedy and horror barely works. The humor fires in every direction, occasionally landing a decent joke, but often slipping into pure cringe. Tension is almost nonexistent, with the film constantly choosing to play it safe instead of taking risks.

The cast is one of the film's strongest elements. Paul Rudd, Jack Black, and Steve Zahn manage to carry much of the movie with their charisma and fun performances, making it more watchable even when the material lets them down.

Overall, Anaconda suffers from a dragged-out beginning and a lack of impact, tension, and a clear identity. Still, it's not a bad film. It works as a light comedy, includes a few fun nods to the original, and even leaves the door open for a sequel.

This is very much a "lazy Sunday afternoon" movie, best watched with low expectations and on streaming rather than in theaters. If this movie were a snake, it would hiss a lot... but rarely bite.

This movie knows exactly what it is-a big, dumb comedy-and fully leans into it. The pacing is fast, the jokes keep coming, and it never really drags. Steve Zahn completely steals the show, delivering the kind of over-the-top comedic performance he does best. There's a lot of cussing, so it's definitely not family-friendly, but the humor lands more often than not. If you're looking for something smart and deep, this isn't it-but if you want a genuinely funny, turn-your-brain-off popcorn movie, this one delivers.

I suppose I should say at the outset of the review that Anaconda (2025) was intentionally a low-brow, silly film with no aspirations beyond that from the get-go. As such, in a way the flick is to a degree review-proof in terms of a critical assessment. I mean, the whole premise of it is ridiculous, so pointing out plot holes, leaps in logic and the like is sort of futile.

As a movie, Anaconda (2025) is at more than a few times confused as to what kind of film it was trying to be. There's a secondary, supposedly serious subplot involving gold poachers that was woven into the main storyline which I found more distracting than anything else. I found the main plot involving the four lifetime friends now in middle age trying to recapture the failed dreams of their teenage years was a decent-enough premise.

I would agree with other reviewers that as a viewer thinking too heavily about what you are seeing when you watch Anaconda (2025) undoubtedly inhibits enjoying it, so definitely turn your brain off and laugh as one reviewer wisely said.

Even with all that, for myself I didn't find the laughs exactly coming at me hard and fast, comedy being subjective. Part of that may have to do with going way back never having quite purchased a ticket on the Jack Black train in terms of my perception of his comedic ability, and Anaconda (2025) has a LOT of Jack Black front and center. Another part of that may have to do with the many jarring tonal shifts Anaconda (2025) takes throughout, trying to be this sort of wistful, sweet, silly yet at times serious, scary, thrilling Comedy/Action/Adventure hybrid. Anaconda (2025) really doesn't pull this blending of elements off particularly well.

However, I will also say that there were several scenes that did make me laugh out loud and a few sudden scare shots that made me jump. None of which were gut-bustingly funny or on-the-edge-of-my-seat thrilling, but effective enough. In truth, I hadn't wanted to see this flick and as such went into it with very low expectations. By all the criterion I listed above, Anaconda (2025) basically made it over the lowered bar. I saw it yesterday, so I figured I'd write this review today because doubtless come tomorrow I won't even remember having seen it, such is the disposable nature of it. It is what it is and overall a semi-decent one of those.

The plot was predictable and repetitive, humour was good I will admit. Directors just put Jack black in any movie to disguise the bad plot that hides behind him. Could definitely have been done way better, but this movie just feels like a waste of money and time. Acting was also mediocre, wasted chance.

Anaconda (2025) may have left me a bit disappointed overall, but it still delivers enough dumb fun thanks to Jack Black and Paul Rudd to make it at least somewhat worthwhile.

This movie's been on my radar since the first teaser dropped. I'm a big fan of Jack Black and the high energy he brings to the projects he's in, and Paul Rudd has always been an actor I've enjoyed in movies.

That said, I went in with reasonable expectations for this movie and 50% of the time I got what I was looking for, and 50% of the time I was left wanting more of what was marketed.

The premise itself is actually pretty fun. Jack Black's Doug and Paul Rudd's Griff are trying to fulfill their childhood dreams by making an Anaconda reboot deep in the jungles of Brazil, until a giant anaconda shows up and turns their movie into a reality. On paper, that's a great hook and when the film actually leans into this idea, it works. The first act does a solid job setting up the characters, the story, and the tone, which honestly made me optimistic going forward.

Unfortunately, the movie starts to lose itself in a messy second act that focuses heavily on a completely unnecessary subplot that goes absolutely nowhere. This detour pulls attention away from the actual selling points and leads to some poorly written explanations as for why these events are unfolding in this story and nothing burger twists. By the time the third act rolls around, the movie goes fully over the top, but this is also where it becomes the most entertaining. It leans into that so bad it's good energy I was expecting and delivers some genuinely fun moments that properly utilize the actual anaconda and the interactions it has with our man crew.

With that said, plot wise there's definitely a lot of wasted potential here. With a tighter structure and a stronger focus on its core ideas, this could've been way better. Still, it manages to deliver some entertaining scenes and even sneaks in a decent message, all while having fun with its parody elements.

Where the movie really gains its footing is in the performances. Jack Black and Paul Rudd are clearly having a blast, and that enthusiasm is what carries the film. When the movie actually commits to its premise watching these two compliment each other in increasingly ridiculous situations is easily the highlight. Steve Zahn is also pretty funny here, with some laugh out loud moments.

Overall, this meta reboot of Anaconda has plenty of shortcomings, no question. But thanks to its cast, it ends up being more fun-bad than just flat-out bad.