Rebooting a movie like Anaconda is a bold choice. The original 1997 film—starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, and Eric Stoltz—was intended as a tense jungle survival thriller, but time has transformed it into something far more amusing than frightening. With its stiff performances, infamous CGI snake, and overly serious tone, Anaconda became a cult favorite precisely because it didn’t quite work as intended.
Fast forward to 2025, and Sony Pictures has taken a very different approach. Rather than attempting to “fix” the original, the new Anaconda fully embraces absurdity. Directed by Tom Gormican (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent), this reboot is a self-aware action comedy that knows exactly how silly it is—and leans into that energy with confidence.
Led by Jack Black and Paul Rudd, the film transforms Anaconda into a meta satire about filmmaking, midlife regret, and the chaotic joy of chasing creative dreams long past their expiration date. The result is a movie that may not deliver genuine thrills, but succeeds as a consistently funny, lighthearted crowd-pleaser.
A Very Different Kind of Anaconda
Unlike the 1997 film, which played its jungle horror premise straight, Anaconda (2025) is openly comedic from the start. This isn’t a survival thriller—it’s a movie about making a bad movie, wrapped inside a survival comedy that occasionally remembers there’s supposed to be a giant snake involved.
The story centers on four longtime friends who decide to travel deep into the Amazon rainforest to shoot a low-budget, independent remake of Anaconda. Their plan is wildly underprepared, poorly funded, and doomed from the beginning—which, of course, is where the comedy thrives.
This tonal shift is the reboot’s greatest strength. By refusing to take itself seriously, the film avoids the biggest pitfall of legacy reboots: pretending that nostalgia alone is enough.
Jack Black and Paul Rudd: A Comedy Duo That Works Effortlessly
At the heart of the film are Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd), childhood friends whose lives didn’t turn out quite the way they imagined.
Doug is a former film nerd who once dreamed of becoming a director but now runs a modest wedding video business in Buffalo. He’s practical, cautious, and quietly resentful of the risks he never took. Griff, on the other hand, chased his Hollywood ambitions headfirst—and while he hasn’t exactly failed, he hasn’t succeeded either. He’s a working actor still waiting for his big break, clinging to optimism with increasing desperation.
Jack Black plays Doug with a mix of manic anxiety and heartfelt vulnerability, dialing back his usual bombast just enough to let the character feel grounded. Paul Rudd, meanwhile, leans into his trademark charm, portraying Griff as eternally hopeful, slightly delusional, and impossible to dislike.
Their chemistry feels natural and lived-in, selling the idea that these two once shared big dreams and now share even bigger regrets.
A VHS Tape, Old Dreams, and a Bad Idea
The film’s inciting moment is deceptively simple. Griff returns to Buffalo for Doug’s birthday and brings with him an old VHS tape containing one of their childhood movies—a homemade monster flick titled The Squatch. Watching it together reignites something both men thought they’d buried.
Somehow—through methods best not questioned—Griff has managed to secure the rights to remake Anaconda. His plan? Assemble a skeleton crew, head to the Amazon, and shoot a stripped-down indie version of the 1997 film.
Doug reluctantly agrees to direct, seeing it as a last chance to reclaim a piece of his younger self. Joining them are:
- Claire (Thandiwe Newton), a wealthy former friend who bankrolls the project and casts herself as the female lead
- Kenny (Steve Zahn), an unreliable but enthusiastic cameraman recently fired from Doug’s wedding video company
None of them are prepared. All of them are in over their heads. And that’s before the jungle gets involved.
The Amazon as Both Setting and Punchline
Once the group arrives in South America, the film shifts gears from small-town nostalgia to full-blown chaos. Their journey down the Amazon River introduces them to Ana (Daniela Melchior), a mysterious woman who poses as their boat captain.
Unbeknownst to the group, Ana is hiding from armed men who are hunting her, adding an unexpected layer of danger to what was already a reckless plan. Melchior brings a grounded intensity to the role, acting as a subtle counterbalance to the film’s otherwise heightened performances.
Also joining the crew is Santiago (Selton Mello), a professional snake handler tasked with managing the very real anaconda meant to appear in their movie. Mello is a standout, delivering dry, understated comedy that often steals scenes away from his more famous co-stars.
When the Snake Dies… and Things Get Worse
In one of the film’s most absurd early turns—revealed in the trailer and therefore not a spoiler—the trained snake meets an untimely end thanks to a boat propeller accident. The loss of their star attraction forces the crew to make a truly terrible decision: venture into the jungle to find a replacement snake.
Unsurprisingly, they find one.
This new anaconda is enormous, untrained, and far more interested in eating humans than hitting its marks. From here, the movie becomes a blend of survival comedy and behind-the-scenes satire, as the group attempts to continue filming while avoiding becoming lunch.
CGI Snakes and Missing Suspense
While Anaconda (2025) tries to generate moments of genuine danger, the execution doesn’t always land. The CGI used to create the snake is serviceable but never convincing enough to inspire real fear.
Ironically, the original film’s animatronic snake—while infamous—at least felt physically present. The new digital version looks smoother but less tangible, making suspenseful sequences feel more cartoonish than tense.
That said, the film seems aware of this limitation and wisely pivots its focus. Rather than relying on fear, it mines comedy from panic—particularly through Jack Black’s escalating terror and Paul Rudd’s nervous optimism.
Supporting Cast Elevates the Comedy
Steve Zahn is a clear highlight as Kenny, delivering the kind of unhinged, high-energy performance that recalls his best work from early 2000s comedies. He brings unpredictability to every scene, often acting as the catalyst for the group’s worst decisions.
Thandiwe Newton, while charismatic, is unfortunately underutilized. Claire is written more as a functional archetype—the wealthy enabler—than a fully developed character. Newton does what she can, but the script rarely gives her the comedic material afforded to her co-stars.
Still, the ensemble chemistry is strong enough to carry the film through its slower moments.
A Love Letter to Movies About Making Movies
The first half of Anaconda is heavy on industry satire. The script pokes fun at:
- Obsessive conversations about “themes”
- Pretentious indie filmmaking attitudes
- The illusion of creative control in low-budget productions
While some of these jokes might have landed harder in a smaller indie film, they still provide plenty of laughs.
The second half, however, is where the movie truly finds its rhythm. As the jungle chaos escalates, the film increasingly resembles a mashup of Bowfinger and Tropic Thunder—two beloved comedies about disastrous film productions spiraling out of control.
Notably, several of the film’s best jokes aren’t spoiled by the trailers. Even gags that appear in marketing materials are often expanded upon in surprising ways, adding new layers of humor instead of repeating the punchline.
Nostalgia Without Being Trapped by It
Fans of the original Anaconda will appreciate the film’s subtle callbacks and visual nods, but the reboot never relies too heavily on references. You don’t need to love—or even remember—the 1997 movie to enjoy this version.
Instead of trying to re-create iconic scenes, the film uses its predecessor as a launching pad for a completely different experience. That choice allows Anaconda (2025) to stand on its own as a comedy, rather than a nostalgia exercise.
A Rare PG-13 Comedy That Actually Works
One of the most surprising aspects of Anaconda is how effective it is as a PG-13 comedy. In an era dominated by R-rated comedies or hyper-safe family films, movies that aim for the middle ground have become increasingly rare.
This film finds that sweet spot. It’s edgy enough to entertain adults, silly enough for teens, and accessible enough to work as a group viewing experience. There’s no mean-spirited humor, no excessive shock value—just well-paced jokes and likable characters.
Final Verdict: A Fun, Flawed, and Self-Aware Reboot
Anaconda (2025) doesn’t reinvent cinema, and it doesn’t need to. What it offers instead is a refreshingly honest, goofy, and self-aware reboot that understands why the original became a cult classic—and chooses to laugh with it rather than at it.
Jack Black and Paul Rudd anchor the film with effortless chemistry, the supporting cast adds unexpected depth, and the meta approach keeps the story engaging even when the snake effects fall short.
It may not deliver true thrills, but it delivers something arguably more valuable: a genuinely good time.
Rating: 7/10
If you’re looking for a serious survival thriller, this isn’t it. But if you want a smart, silly comedy that knows exactly how ridiculous it is, Anaconda is well worth the trip into the jungle.