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.
