How do you reboot a series that was so bad, it was almost a parody of itself? You re-imagine it into a comedy-adventure. That is what has happened to Anaconda, the 1997 action monster movie starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, and an awful performance by Jon Voight. Instead of going for a remake, you approach the project from a completely different angle, hand the leads to two popular comedy actors, and what you get is an okay film that needed more laughs.

Doug and Griff are two best friends who have always dreamed of being filmmakers. When Griff secures the rights to the film Anaconda, the pair, along with school friends Kenny and Claire, head off to the Amazon to reboot the franchise, but what they encounter while they are there is far more dangerous than they could ever imagine.

The premise of the film is an interesting way of getting around the old adage of “there’s nothing original anymore”, and in a sense, for this film, there isn’t. Initially, when you think of the original Anaconda, you think of it as massively over-the-top, camp, and absolutely dire, which has built up a cult following over the years. Here, they take those elements and just set them inside a very meta production, where mentions of past stars, the film studio and a host of other nods to the past are included in this new ride.

The only difference is that this is playing for laughs. It doesn’t want to be taken seriously, unlike the original, so having a failed actor and a filmmaker who has ended up making wedding videos, taking on a Hollywood movie, but with a smaller budget and with fewer cast and crew, does bring some chuckles throughout.

Thankfully, the effects have improved since 1997, with the snake looking more convincing than before, but the tension isn’t there due to the humour. This is where the film fails to really ignite. The jokes are few and far between, and some of them just don’t land. It’s only when we hit the final act that the level of stupidity is upped, and then the film finally works. Not saying it’s a dull ride beforehand; it just gets a whole lot better once the script lets the silliness of the idea really play out.

What keeps the whole thing going is the cast’s likability. They genuinely seem to be the best of friends, and they bounce off each other with ease. Jack Black and Paul Rudd as Doug and Griff are, well, Jack Black and Paul Rudd, while Thandiwe Newton, donning an unusual hairstyle, is solid as Claire. Steve Zahn, however, steals the film as Kenny. There are a couple of surprise cameos along the way to keep it moving.

Anaconda is fun, there’s no denying it, and the idea is there. It just needed either a stronger script or to have gone out and out bonkers from the start. Either way, it’s a perfectly fine comedy adventure, and you’ll never be able to look at a boar in the same way again.

3 out of 5

Director: Tom Gormican

Starring: Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Thandiwe Newton, Steve Zahn, Daniela Melchior, Selton Mello, Ione Skye, Rui Ricardo Diaz, John Billingsley, Sebastian Sero, Diago Arnary

Written by: Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten, (based on “Anaconda”) Hans Bauer, Jim Cash and Jack epps Jr

Running Time: 99 mins

Cert: 12A

Release date: 26th December 2025