ANACONDA should have never been released at Christmas. This is a March or maybe mid-fall movie. Instead, it got buried by AVATAR and MARTY SUPREME. And let’s be honest, 2026 has been ROUGH already. I needed a night out to laugh, and ANACONDA was the answer.
This reboot, revival, whatever, is absolutely dumb fun. My biggest critique is that it could have been even more outrageous. It could have leaned a bit harder into the fact that it’s about a HUGE FUCKING SNAKE. I’m not a fan of this franchise, but it didn’t matter. You do not have to be knowledgeable about the previous films to enjoy this one. It helps to at least know that the original ANACONDA was released in 1997 and had a very 90s cast. Were the Anacondas from the previous films this big? Again, doesn’t matter. The special effects for the snake here aren’t great. Also, doesn’t matter.Â
What works here is this cast, together with a nostalgic story that delivers A LOT OF laughs. ANACONDA 2025 feels like it was specially made for people born between 1970 and 1980, and hey, that’s me! Stars Jack Black, Paul Rudd, and Steve Zahn were all born in the 1960s, but they’re playing close to a decade younger than their actual ages. Thandiwe Newton was born in 1972 and is a lot closer to portraying her character’s age. I love all these actors, and they had great chemistry, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the film might have gotten more mileage with a slightly younger cast. If I’m willing to suspend my disbelief about a 100-foot snake, I think I can spend 100 minutes believing Black, Zahn, and Rudd are in their late 40s. Â
The pacing is a bit uneven, and some different sections of the dialogue feel like they were written by various writers, probably in rewrites. The overarching plot is goofy and never takes itself seriously. It’s too bad it just couldn’t go even more over the top than it does. They probably could have knocked off 10 minutes of the run time, or at the very least, delivered more screentime for the murderous snake. Â
But all in all, I laughed a lot. A LOT. And boy did I need that. Never underestimate the power of laughter.Â
ANACONDA is currently playing in theatres.Â