I’m not for one second going to sit here and pretend I was excited to see the new ANACONDA movie… if anything I was kind of dreading it, as it looks like a completely ridiculous and forgettable concept for a film. But I’ve been wrong before, and I’m happy to say the film actually did surprise me a bit. If you never saw the original ANACONDA, it was a 1990s horror schlock flick that involved folks going into the jungle and having to fight for survival against a giant snake. And yes, it was silly, but also kind of a fun classic for what it was. The new film follows Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd), best friends since they were kids, who always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie – the cinematic “classic” ANACONDA. When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming. But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed.

This ANACONDA isn’t pretending to be anything other than what it is, a silly comedy that knows what it is. Directed by Tom Gormican​, the cast also includes the great Steve Zahn, Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior and a surprisingly good Selton Mello. But it’s mainly a showcase for Jack Black and Paul Rudd to shine with, and you can tell they’re having fun with these characters. The logistics of how they take on their missing is a little underwritten, but this isn’t a film you should be asking logic questions about anyway. What it captures quite well is the nostalgia factor of the fun dreams you had in your youth, and how those dreams sometimes linger to the point of needing to be revisited. I appreciated the concept as I was that kid who shot overly-ambitious camcorder movies with my friends in my youth, hoping one day to maybe make “real” movies like the pros. I think I knew even back then it was unlikely to ever happen, but those adolescent dreams are always fun to reminisce about. In ANACONDA, you get to see what it could be like if you actually got that chance, even though things go very, very wrong… all to great comedic affect.

As Griff plants the idea in Doug’s head of actually doing a remake of their childhood favorite film, they get their other pals on board, scrape together just enough money to rent a river boat, but they also end up crossing paths with a mysterious woman on the run, played by Daniela Melchior. They think she’s part of the boat crew, but she’s actually trying to stay hidden from men pursuing her, and at first she becomes an unexpected part of this filmmaking team. But there’s a twist that happens late in the story, and he character arc ends up falling apart and feeling a bit underwritten. I have to wonder if that character was meant to be something more here, and maybe it just wasn’t working well with the story. It’s a shame, as I really like Daniela Melchior, and she’s a bit wasted here. Steve Zahn is quite good as the “tech” guy of the buddy team. I loved seeing him back with Jack Black, as I’m a big fan of SAVING SILVERMAN, which both Black and Zahn starred in previously. Black does a good job of capturing that “overgrown kid” archetype here, and it more likable and endearing than he’s been in some of his more recent over-the-top work. Paul Rudd, while almost always charming, feels a little miscast here, at leas to me. His performance almost feels like it came from a different type of movie, and his chemistry with Black is hit and miss, but overall still fairly engaging. Selton Mello is one of the biggest surprises here as a snake wrangler they hire to provide the title character, and while as a character he’s rather hilarious, the events that transpire with his pet are outrageously funny.

One of the best (and perhaps unusual) aspects of this new ANACONDA is that it holds back on the gore and adult humor just enough to get a PG-13 rating, and in many ways almost feels like a family-safe movie, but yet still works in what it’s trying to do. There’s also some fun cameos from the original ANACONDA here, one of which is unfortunately being spoiled widely in the newest commercials and trailers. But above all else, this is fun and entertaining movie, much better than I ever thought it could be. It’s unlikely to become a classic by any means, but if you’re looking for a disposable “check your brain at the door and have a great time” flick, this will definitely work… and in many ways, that may be the most meta aspect of it. Like the original ANACONDA, it’s nothing special, but it’s a fun popcorn movie that is refreshing during a time of heavy and overly long films domination theaters.

Be Sociable, Share!

• 
•