By: Lana K. Wilson-Combs
"ANACONDA" IS A SLITHERY REBOOT WITH LITTLE BITE
It's always nice to have a little counterprogramming against the more serious films jockeying for Awards-Season attention. If it were up to me, theaters would roll out a new Christmas or holiday movie every December without fail. Still, for audiences in the mood for something lighter--and far more disposable--
"Anaconda" aims to fill that gap.
Jack Black ("Jumanji 3") and Paul Rudd (TV's "Only Murders in the Building") team up for this reboot of the 1997 creature feature that starred Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube. The promise here isn't prestige, but silly escapism, even if the results are only intermittently successful.
Directed and written by
Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten ("Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F"), the film dives heavily into nostalgia and self-awareness. The story follows four childhood friends--Doug McCallister (Black), Ronald "Griff" Griffin (Rudd), Kenny Trent (Steve Zahn, TV's "Chad Powers") and Claire Simons (Thandiwe Newton, TV's "Big Mouth")-- who reunite as adults and travel to the Amazon with a wildly impractical plan: filming their own amateur remake of "Anaconda." Each of them is stuck in a personal rut, and the trip becomes a misguided attempt to reclaim the recklessness and camaraderie of their younger days.
Early scenes play like a meta comedy about aging, unrealized dreams, and the absurdity of reboot culture itself.
Once the group reaches the jungle, however, the movie starts to sputter. The pacing becomes uneven, and the humor lands in bursts rather than sustained momentum. When a real, enormous anaconda finally enters the picture, the stakes are raised, but the tension never fully coils. Action sequences feel familiar, and several supporting characters, including a snake handler and local guides are thinly sketched.
The biggest letdown may be Jack Black, who never quite unleashes his trademark chaotic energy. Instead of going full Jack Black, his performance feels oddly restrained, which blunts what should have been the film's comedic core.
Paul Rudd fares better, relying on his natural charm to keep things afloat, but even he can't fully compensate for the movie's lack of commitment.
By the time "Anaconda" reaches its conclusion--complete with survival antics and a knowing nod to the original film--it ends not with a snap, but a shrug.
"Anaconda" is a serviceable, mildly amusing distraction, but it never quite sinks its teeth in deeply enough to leave a lasting impression.
Editor's Note: Be sure to catch my N2Entertainment.net movie talk segment on the Kitty O'Neal Show Fridays now at 5:17 p.m. and 6:47 p.m. on radio station KFBK 93.1 FM and 1530 AM.
Watch This Trailer For
"ANACONDA"
Lana K. Wilson-Combs is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA), The American Film Institute (AFI), and a Nominating Committee Voting Member for the NAACP Image Awards.
