Critics Have Seen Anaconda, And They’re Saying The Same Thing About Jack Black And Paul Rudd’s ‘Hacky’ Meta Reboot

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These days, it seems like many movies are either reboots or sequels to old favorites, and that trend will likely continue. However, the new movie Anaconda offers a unique take on the original. It follows a group of friends who attempt to recreate the 1997 film, only to encounter a real, dangerous snake. Early reviews suggest the movie doesn’t quite live up to its own comedic expectations.

The new action movie features Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Steve Zahn, and Thandiwe Newton, with a special appearance by Ice Cube, continuing the film’s self-aware style. Early viewers enjoyed the movie’s humor and emotional depth, but IGN’s Matt Donato wasn’t impressed, giving it a poor 4 out of 10. He felt the film failed to live up to the charming cheesiness of the original 1997 movie, and despite its unique premise, it felt predictable and relied too heavily on crude humor, obvious music cues, and over-the-top action reminiscent of Tropic Thunder.

Despite a talented comedic cast, the film gets bogged down in tired jokes and a confusing plot. While there are occasional moments of fun and monster-movie thrills, it mostly struggles to make its central ‘movie within a movie’ idea work. It feels like a less exciting version of ‘Anaconda,’ lacking the scares, impressive effects, and overall entertainment value – a strange creative direction.

According to William Bibbiani of The Wrap, the new, expensive remake seems to unfairly mock the original Anaconda sequels and their fans. Bibbiani argues that if you’re going to create a film that pokes fun at the 1997 movie, it needs to be of higher quality. Instead, the remake relies on childish humor and pointless, unfunny side stories, ultimately falling short of its potential.

This new ‘Anaconda’ film spends so much time commenting on how ridiculous it is to even make another ‘Anaconda’ movie that it forgets to actually be a good one. Surprisingly, many of the cheap, no-frills direct-to-video sequels actually went ahead and delivered a low-budget ‘Anaconda’ film without issue. They were simple and cheesy, but they were upfront about what they were. This new ‘Anaconda’, however, is lavish and costly, and never feels genuine – not even in its attempts at being silly.

David Ehrlich at IndieWire gave the movie a C, describing it as a rough and unfinished first attempt. He felt the poor quality of the filmmaking actually detracted from the enjoyment it was trying to create. He did, however, appreciate the two jokes made about Jon Voight, according to his review.

While it’s not the worst movie you’ll ever see, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” squanders the chemistry of its talented cast – Black, Rudd, and Zahn – with a messy and poorly constructed plot. The film starts confusingly and never really recovers, especially when a clearly fake CGI anaconda ruins the fun, making even the original movie’s snake effects look good by comparison.

Despite its flaws, the movie isn’t without merit. Liz Shannon Miller from Consequence points out that a film doesn’t need to be profound – sometimes, being funny is enough. She gave it a B grade, acknowledging it’s not as frightening as the first one, and intentionally prioritizes humor over horror. Miller explains in her review:

Anaconda definitely has some unbelievable moments, but it’s a film that asks you to simply enjoy the ride. Trying to logically explain the plot – like why someone is running from a giant snake with a pig taped to their back – actually makes it less funny. It’s funny because it is so over-the-top. Combined with a surprisingly heartfelt message about following your dreams and the importance of friendship, Anaconda is a delightfully silly escape – like a fun, thoughtful gift from a friend.

I loved the original Anaconda from 1997, so I’m a little let down to see the new version isn’t getting great reviews. As of today, Rotten Tomatoes shows that only 50

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2025-12-25 22:13