ANACONDA (2025) ***

As an unabashed fan of the Anaconda series, I was a little worried when I heard Jack Black and Paul Rudd were making a comedy reboot of the movie, especially one that was going with the “Meta” approach.  I mean, a series that has had sequels featuring Blood Orchids, David Hasselhoff, and a crossover with Lake Placid obviously isn’t taking itself too seriously to begin with.  (Apparently, there was also a Chinese remake in 2024.)  So, why lean into the comedy?

Well, it took about ten minutes for my fears to be washed away.  Yes, it’s a humorous Meta reboot, but one with unexpected heart.  It’s about the love of filmmaking and the camaraderie among friends who make movies together.  That shit pulls at my heartstrings. 

Rudd stars as Ron, a small-time actor who returns home for his best friend Doug’s birthday.  Doug (Black) has long put his dreams of filmmaking aside and has channeled his passion into filming wedding videos.  Ron lies to him that he’s secured the rights for an Anaconda remake, and together, they scrounge up a measly budget, head to the Amazon, to try to film it guerrilla style… with a real snake.  When the snake dies accidentally, they head off into the jungle to find another snake.  Problems arise when a giant snake finds them. 

If you want an honest to goodness Anaconda remake, you’re probably going to be disappointed.  The snake action is kind of low and the attack scenes… uh… lack bite.  This is closer in spirit to Be Kind, Rewind and would make a great double feature with that film.  That’s not only because they both star Jack Black, but because they both are about a group of friends making unauthorized remakes of movies. 

Anaconda is overstuffed and at times frustrating.  There’s a subplot about villainous gold miners trying to run the crew off that just grinds the movie to a halt.  The tone is also a bit inconsistent.  I mean, the original was goofy fun without trying to be goofy.  These are minor contentions because I laughed harder at this movie than I have at a comedy in a long time.  If you kind of think of it as a modern-day version of an Abbott and Costello Meet a Monster movie, it will go down smoother.  Plus, the cameos are so good that they kind of put it over the top.