Best friends Griff and Doug have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie "Anaconda." When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they assemble a crew and head deep into the jungles of the Amazon to start filming. However, life soon imitates art when a gigantic anaconda with a thirst for blood starts hunting them down.
Director: Tom Gormican
Cast: Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Steve Zahn, Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior, Selton Mello
Release Date: December 25, 202
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Rated PG-13 for violence/action, strong language, some drug use and suggestive references.
Runtime: 1h 40m
Review:
The meta of reboot Anaconda offers up a goofy conceit and solid collection of comedic stars should equal something far funnier than this utterly forgettable comedy that delivers a few solid laughs its overly complicated story keeps it from hitting Tropic Thunder level of satire. Tom Gormican is a perfectly capable comedic director exemplified by his equally meta comedy, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, from 2022 which took full advantage of its central conceit by focusing on the absurdity of it. This film has a handful of well set up jokes but there are far too many that just fall flat as it tries to juggle way too many story threads that don’t really come together the way they should. Instead of leaning into the sillier territory it offers up an utterly pointless gold mining storyline that wastes Daniela Melchior character and could have been easily excised with little overall impact. Likewise, the main storyline of these childhood friends making their dreams a reality doesn’t land the way it should in spite of Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Steve Zahn and Thandiwe Newton solid chemistry together. It attempts to set up a sweet story arch between them falls flat and keeps it from really nailing the zany meta comedy that should have been the focus. When it does lean into that side of the story it does deliver some fun moments although they are more likely to leave you grinning than busting out in uncontrollable laughter. Black delivers his usual manic energy which serves as a counter balance to Paul Rudd’s more nuanced approach. Thandiwe Newton shows off some impressive comedic timing and Steve Zahn’s work leaves you wishing they’d given him a bit more to do. Selton Mello who plays the snake handler, seems to be the only person in the cast that fully embraces the absurdity of his character but unfortunately, he's taken off the screen fairly early on. Anaconda isn’t the total dumpster fire that it could have been, but it is rather forgettable which leaves you wondering why they bothered at all.
C
