Jack Black and Paul Rudd's 'Anaconda' Is Better Than You've Heard
Sony’s Anaconda, a “reimagining” of the 1997 creature feature starring Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez, is neither as bad as you’ve heard nor as good as it should be. It’s the second high-concept meta-comedy-action hybrid directed by Tom Gormican (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) in three years, and it’s also the second that doesn’t follow through on the not-insignificant promise of its premise. Still, Anaconda is a perfectly pleasant, overall quite fun but equally empty-headed action-adventure in the mode of Romancing the Stone that recalls holiday releases of the early 2000s. The veteran cast helps to sell the nostalgia. If this lightweight horror-comedy is not quite up to the promise of stars Paul Rudd and Jack Black, it's still a punchy, frequently witty romp which earns points for simplicity and brevity.
Anaconda Is Lightweight Meta Fun
Black is Doug McCallister, an office drone who settled well outside of his dream of being a sub-Tarantino exploitation director to provide a comfy life for his wife and son. For his birthday, Doug’s wife (a disgracefully underused Ione Skye) arranges a surprise appearance from two of his old friends—Claire (Thandiwe Newton) and Ron (Paul Rudd), the latter of whom is a struggling background actor—and a screening of their pre-pubescent masterwork Squatch. Buoyed by the euphoria of their home movie and Ron’s revelation that he owns the rights to the Anaconda franchise, the trio set out to the Brazilian rainforest to shoot a low-budget “spiritual sequel.” Along for the ride are Doug's newly-sober cameraman (Steve Zahn) and a Brazilian anaconda wrangler played by Selton Mello. Mello, a veteran Brazilian actor making his Hollywood debut after earning raves for his turn in 2025 Oscar favorite I'm Still Here, provides the movie's biggest and most consistent laughs.
It's Tropic Thunder Meets Be Kind Rewind, But Not As Sharp
Anaconda is at its most entertaining when it’s playing in the gear of Tropic Thunder and Be Kind Rewind, two Black vehicles from which Gormican’s picture takes clear inspiration. This self-described “spiritual sequel” is neither as sharp nor as emotionally satisfying as either of those earlier titles; but it also doesn’t take itself too seriously and remains lithe throughout its slim 95-minute running time, two traits which shouldn’t be discounted. Unfortunately, there’s a line between not taking oneself too seriously and simply being unambitious that the movie occasionally blurs.
The addition of an adventurer (Daniela Melchior) on the run from gold smugglers is as pat as can be, a twist the film doesn’t even pretend to be interested in. (Melchior’s character is given so few lines that she barely registers as a presence.) There’s a sense, due to the Boy’s Own Adventure tone that precludes any of the poster characters from being killed off, that these roles are only present to give the titular anaconda something to munch on, but those horror beats lack the necessary weight. In general, the anaconda isn’t nearly enough of a threat.
Focus On Character Over Action Redeems the Movie
Gormican previously directed The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which cast Nicolas Cage as “himself,” a hapless actor thrown into the middle of a cartel plot. It was a funny concept that quickly devolved into a rote action-comedy, failing to take much advantage of its not-insignificant premise. Much the same can be said for Anaconda, though here the individual parts work much more harmoniously and are far more pleasurable to endure.
One of the things Gormican absolutely nails here is the attention to character and comedy over action; though some more care could’ve gone into the anaconda attacks, it’s a relief that the movie never devolves into ceaseless chaos. The few action beats on display are simple and brief, but fairly well staged. A final, Jurassic Park-inspired chase is more inventively staged than a similar, ceaseless sequence in last year’s Jurassic World: Rebirth. And then there are the inevitable cameos, which won’t be spoiled here. One of them is quite funny, but fleeting; the other, shot weeks before the film’s release, comes too late and is clearly patched together from spare parts—a microcosm for the movie itself.