A documentary film crew comes across a snake hunter, who is
on a quest to capture the world's largest, and deadliest, snake. ACTION/HORROR
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Anaconda (1997)Directed by Luis Llosa
Written by Hans Bauer, Jim Cash, Jack Epps Jr. Starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, Owen Wilson, Kari Wuhrer, Vincent Castellanos, Danny Trejo |
"There's snakes out there this big?" From the moment Ice Cube uttered this ridiculous line with absolutely zero heart in it, I knew Anaconda was going to be entering the sublime intersection of "so bad, it's good." Because let's be honest. Nobody is coming back to this surprisingly successful creature feature for the acting, the story, or the emotion. They're here to watch a forty-foot snake devour Jon Voight and puke him out, because this is the only place you'll ever get to see that. This was my first time with Anaconda, and it's not bad if you know what you're in for.
Jennifer Lopez heads up a cast of 90's somebodies who are traveling deep into the uncharted Amazon to film a documentary about a lost tribe. What they encounter instead is psychotic snake hunter Paul Serone (Voight), who hijacks their expedition so he can hunt down an enormous anaconda. Of course, in typical horror flick fashion, the snake bites back and eats J-Lo's entire crew, except Ice Cube, who's too fucking gangsta for the anaconda to handle. The creature scenes done with puppets and animatronics still looked good, while the CGI is on par with Sharknado. I refuse to accept an "it was the 90's" defense because this was the same year as Titanic and Starship Troopers, and their effects still hold up. Creature features are fun because horror fans get to see big monsters eat, chew on, or spit out various celebrities. No creature feature will ever top Jaws and once you accept that, a lot of these films taste better going down. It's a decent flick that is significantly held back by a PG-13 rating, but isn't half bad all the same. |
Anaconda, by no stretch of the imagination, is a great film; but it's an enjoyable one. I mean, it features a giant snake eating a who's who of 90's celebrities, so there's actually quite a bit to enjoy. Proving to be a critical failure but a commercial success, Anaconda has gone on to achieve a cult following amongst film fans, especially fans of the creature feature sub-genre.
The cast does a, mostly, decent job with their characters. Jennifer Lopez seems to be coasting in this movie, mainly relying on her star power at the time. Still, her character is easy enough to root for. Ice Cube does a generally good job of a more subdued version of himself, even though his signature attitude creeps in towards the end of the film. Jon Voight plays a good villain, except for the terrible South American accent he attempts to do. I don't know if he insisted on it, but he he should have dropped it entirely. Apart from a few glaring moments of CGI, the snake looked pretty good and was a suitable creature to fear. And, honestly, I think we can all agree the idea of being eaten by a giant anaconda is pretty terrifying. While not one of the best films ever made, I still find it to be quite enjoyable. The snake is generally scary and the cast is game for the material. Anaconda is a fun time and something I'm not afraid to admit I own. |