Starring: Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, Daniela Melchior, Selton Mello
Director: Tom Gormican
Rating: ★★
Hollywood’s relationship with nostalgia has long since moved from affection to dependence, and Anaconda It’s another reminder of how thin that line has become. 1997 Anaconda It was never a good movie, but it was at least a memorable one – a glossy, star-driven creature feature whose stiff dialogue and rubbery effects accidentally turned it into a cult curiosity.
Nearly three decades later, the new iteration establishes itself as a savvy, self-aware reinvention, but clever intentions don’t always translate into compelling cinema. Instead of retelling the original, the film follows Doug (Jack Black), a once-aspiring filmmaker now busy shooting wedding videos in Buffalo, who is enlisted by his struggling-actor childhood friend Griff (Paul Rudd) to make a low-budget reboot of Anaconda. Along with old friends Claire (Thandiwe Newton) and Kenny (Steve Zahn), the group heads to the Amazon to recapture the creative spark lost years ago. Once there, their amateur production collides with illegal mining operations, shady locals, and a literal giant anaconda that turns their nostalgic passion project into an exercise in survival.
Good
The cast holds much of the film’s limited appeal. Paul Rudd plays the quiet insecurity well, and Jack Black, even when dialed down, brings glimpses of conviction that briefly lift scenes built around industry satire. Steve Zahn is a standout, turning Kenny’s constant incompetence into something genuinely entertaining. There are moments where the film’s gentle camaraderie works, especially when it focuses on the creative regrets of middle-age rather than snares or slapstick.
bad
For a comedy about pointless reboots, Anaconda Surprisingly reluctant to bite. The satire is never sharp, the jokes are repeated without increasing the tension, and the horror elements feel like an obligation rather than an opportunity. The snake itself is larger but less effective than before, the menace offset by careful staging and weightless action. The attempt at an emotional base is undone by the sketchy character writing, while the film’s PG-13 restraint saps what little shock value it might have had.
Decision
Anaconda He understands that not every movie needs to say something profound – but he forgets that it still needs to be entertaining. Its self-awareness takes identity as criticism and nostalgia as objective. What’s left in IP maintenance is a mildly acceptable but ultimately hollow exercise. Neither sharp enough to parody nor bold enough to thrill, it slips by without leaving a trace.