Anaconda movie fans, prepare yourselves for the most self-aware snake attack in cinema history. The Anaconda movie starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd isn’t a reboot, isn’t a sequel, and isn’t a remake—it’s a movie about making a movie about Anaconda, which is either genius or a symptom of Hollywood running out of ideas. Probably both.
The Anaconda movie follows Doug and Griff, childhood best friends who decide to remake their favorite film—the 1997 Jennifer Lopez creature feature—using a shoestring budget and questionable judgment. Doug, played by Black, is a wedding videographer having a midlife crisis. Griff, played by Rudd, is a struggling actor who still thinks he’s one audition away from stardom. Together with cameraman Kenny and actress Claire, they head into the Amazon to film their masterpiece. Then they accidentally kill their rented snake and have to find a real one. This is what happens when you let Jack Black plan your vacation.
What makes the Anaconda movie work, when it works, is the chemistry between Black and Rudd. These are two actors who understand that the best comedy comes from commitment to the bit, no matter how ridiculous that bit becomes. Black brings his signature manic energy to Doug, a man who genuinely believes that remaking Anaconda will solve his existential dread. Rudd plays Griff with the wounded dignity of someone who has been rejected by Hollywood so many times he’s developed immunity.
The Anaconda movie also features Steve Zahn as Kenny, the cameraman who apparently signed up for this disaster without reading the fine print, and Thandiwe Newton as Claire, an actress who deserves better than this production. Daniela Melchior shows up as Ana Almeida, because every movie about filmmaking needs a local guide who knows exactly how doomed the protagonists are.
Director Tom Gormican, who previously made The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent with Nicolas Cage playing himself, brings the same meta sensibility to the Anaconda movie. Characters reference the original film. Ice Cube appears as himself. Jennifer Lopez has an uncredited cameo. It’s all very clever until it isn’t, and then it becomes a genuine creature feature when the actual anaconda shows up and starts eating the cast.
The Anaconda movie struggles with tone, as many meta-comedies do. When it’s about the absurdity of low-budget filmmaking, it’s genuinely funny. When it becomes an actual horror movie about a giant snake, it loses some of that zany energy. But Black and Rudd are so committed, so relentlessly charming, that you forgive the unevenness. They’re having the time of their lives, and that joy is contagious.
Is the Anaconda movie necessary? Absolutely not. The 1997 original is a perfect time capsule of 90s cheese. But is it entertaining? Surprisingly, yes. It’s the kind of film that knows exactly what it is and refuses to apologize for it. In an era of grimdark blockbusters and cinematic universes, there’s something refreshing about a movie that just wants to make you laugh and then scare you with a giant snake.
The Anaconda movie is now streaming on Netflix, because apparently Sony decided that theatrical audiences weren’t ready for this level of self-awareness. Or maybe they just knew that the Venn diagram of “people who love Jack Black” and “people who subscribe to Netflix” is basically a circle.
Stream the Anaconda movie now on Netflix and watch Jack Black fight a snake while fighting his own midlife crisis.
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