By George & Josh Bate
A remake of the 1997 cult classic Anaconda doesn’t sound too interesting. How can one even begin to replicate the pulpy, absurdly silly, and distinctly late-90s charm of a creature feature that is regarded by many as one of the best so-bad-it’s-good movies of all time? Those were our thoughts exactly when Sony Pictures initially announced a reimagining of Anaconda starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black. These concerns were largely dispelled, however, when the impressively cut-together first trailer revealed the new film is not a remake but, rather, a meta-reboot (of sorts). In cleverly continuing the Anaconda franchise with a movie about the making of a remake of Anaconda, writer/director Tom Gormican crafts an unabashedly silly and self-referential movie that, while hilarious at times, fails to make the most of its creative, meta premise.
Anaconda follows childhood friends Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd). In an attempt to recapture their youth amidst mid-life crises, Doug and Griff, alongside their friends Kenny (Steve Zahn) and Claire (Thandiwe Newton), travel to the Amazon to film an amateur remake of their favorite movie – Anaconda. Things don’t go to plan when the snake for their movie dies and a real giant anaconda emerges, in turn plummeting them into a perilous fight for survival that mirrors the plot of the movie they’re attempting to remake.
Ridiculous from start to finish, Anaconda knows exactly what kind of movie it is. This time of year is typically populated by dense, often pretentious awards fare, counterbalanced with a big-budget blockbuster or two. In releasing alongside the likes of Avatar: Fire and Ash and Marty Supreme, Tom Gormican’s movie serves as a refreshing and welcomed palette cleanser, albeit one that is unlikely to leave a lasting impression after the credits roll.
Borrowing somewhat from Tropic Thunder in making a movie about the making of a movie, Anaconda bolsters one of the more creative premises of a studio comedy in recent years. The lack of novelty in its humor aside, the film is quite unlike anything we’ve seen before due to its premise, perhaps only comparable to little-known movies like Son of Rambow and Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. Thankfully, Gormican doesn’t just use this premise as the entry into his movie but, rather, as its focal point. Anaconda is filled to the brim with self-referential humor about reboots, spiritual sequels, remakes, the lack of creativity in Hollywood, the importance of “themes,” the moviemaking process more generally, and, of course, the cult classic that is Anaconda (1997). For the most part, these one-liners and quips work well in satirizing the industry’s fascination with requels while functioning in a requel itself, especially in a final act that borrows structurally from Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz and Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder.
Beyond its meta quips, Anaconda’s sense of humor is fairly lowbrow and silly, although largely entertaining nonetheless. The film features a number of ridiculous set-pieces that will likely generate audible reactions from audience members and are hard to hold back laughter at, even if one can recognize how immature and even stupid some of them are. Couched between these bonkers set-pieces are all sorts of other attempts at eliciting laughs, most of which are generally successful. Paul Rudd and Jack Black are hilarious together, with their singular vocal work and line deliveries working superbly off one another. The two are clearly having so much fun making the movie and makes the viewing experience all that much more fun as a result.
Unexpectedly, however, the stand-out performer here is Steve Zahn, whose character Kenny is Doug and Griff’s friend and the camera operator for the Anaconda remake. Zahn has dipped his toe into more dramatic ventures in the last decade, but his propensity for razor-sharp comedic timing and audience engagement shines brightly in Gormican. Especially when sharing scenes with Selton Mello’s snake handler Santiago Braga, Zahn is responsible for the film’s biggest laughs as the endearingly dopey member of the crew who is always one step away from a bad decision.
Adding little to the film, however, is a subplot involving Daniela Melchior and a collective of secondary villains. While the inclusion of an antagonist beyond the titular snake adds meat to the film’s bones, it fails to generate much interest or tension. Every scene dedicated to the subplot slows proceedings down considerably, eventually culminating in a flat and underwhelming second-act resolution. Despite its brisk 99 minute runtime, Anaconda feels as long as the giant snake that terrorizes its lead characters, largely due to this more peripheral subplot that could have been reworked or even removed entirely.
The resolution of this subplot gives way to a more action-packed third act that sidelines much of the preceding humor. There are some fun twists and surprises thrown in the mix that inject a bit of energy, although largely the film runs out of steam with a finale full of routinely directed action and overused licensed music.
As entertaining as Anaconda is, one can’t help but feel like the film falls short of the potential its innovative premise and acting talents promise. The film toys with themes of mid-life crises, lost friendships, and achieving dreams without ever taking the time to handle them with the emotional weight they deserve. Obviously, no one in their right mind is going to see Anaconda to be emotionally moved, but first act exposition and the strength of Rudd and Black’s performances introduce the possibility that a more heartwarming, emotionally resonant movie is in store. Unfortunately, this is not the case as Gormican uses these themes as plot devices to move the story forward and, for better and for worse, goes all in with his prioritization of humor. As mentioned, this humor generally works well in delivering mass-appeal laughs and some creative jabs at modern moviemaking. However, anyone hoping for a level of nuance and comedic punch that Ben Stiller delivered with the similarly plotted Tropic Thunder will come away woefully disappointed. Anaconda bolsters a premise that should serve as the foundation for some truly memorable, meta jokes (vis-à-vis Hot Fuzz) but, instead, settles for more run-of-the-mill, yet admittedly chuckle-worthy gags.
VERDICT: 6/10
Anaconda doesn’t quite make the most of its creative, meta premise, but it’s still a lot of fun with plenty of self-referential humor and silly set-pieces. Paul Rudd & Jack Black are hilarious, but Steve Zahn is the real scene stealer. Writer/director Tom Gormican’s follow-up to The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent serves as a refreshing and welcomed palette cleanser to the deluge of dense awards fare and big-budget tentpoles at the megaplex this holiday season by offering up an unabashedly ridiculous viewing experience for audiences. Satirizing the state of the film industry and overabundance of remakes and legacy sequels, the film generates a number of effective laughs without ever getting as nuanced or bold with its humor as one would hope. Instead, Gormican seems more interested in silly, yet admittedly (and mostly) hilarious set-pieces designed for mass appeal. Paul Rudd and Jack Black are hilarious together, trading lines with their trademark comedic delivery, but the real scene-stealer is Steve Zahn, whose endearingly dopey camera operator is responsible for some of the film’s biggest laughs. With some fun twists and surprises thrown in the mix, Anaconda may not live up to the promise of its innovative premise and strong cast but nonetheless works as an unabashedly silly studio comedy destined to please crowds.