'Anaconda' Review: Paul Rudd and Jack Black give 90s jungle thriller a surprisingly fun makeover

'Anaconda' trailer The trailer for Columbia Pictures' "Anaconda" starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black. Directed by Tom Gormican. We often ask ourselves why on earth some of these movies get made - particularly reboots. When one gets announced, it's frequently met with a collective eyeroll from the internet. Take, for example, "Anaconda" - the 1997 jungle horror flick starring Jennifer Lopez , Ice Cube and Jon Voight. It's about a documentary film crew who find themselves stranded in the Amazon rainforest and fighting for their lives against a giant, mythic-like snake. It was panned by critics and received several Razzie nominations, but it found success at the box office and is now considered a cult classic. But was anyone really clamoring for an "Anaconda" reboot? Well, the motto at Sony Pictures isn't "Ask and you shall receive." It's more like, "We're doing this, and you'll be pleasantly surprised." Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) in Columbia Pictures’ "Anaconda." (Matt Grace/© 2025 CTMG Sony Picture Entertainment) To Sony's credit, they know how to take an old IP that has its core fans but otherwise has collected dust and revive it in a way that feels fresh and that's actually pretty funny. They did it with two "21 Jump Streets" and two "Jumanji" films. And fortunately for the studio, they did it once more with "Anaconda." Paul Rudd and Jack Black star Griff and Doug, two childhood best friends who always dreamt of making it in showbiz but never exactly made it a reality. Griff's claim to fame as an actor was a four-episode stint on the CBS procedural "S.W.A.T." while Doug grapples with his unfulfilling job as a wedding videographer to provide for his family instead of pursuing a career as a filmmaker. As he says so himself, he has a "B, maybe a B+ life." That all changes after Griff reveals that he obtained the rights to "Anaconda," which happens to be their all-time favorite movie, and that he wants to reboot it indie style. He convinces Doug, as well as their core besties Claire (Thandiwe Newton) and Kenny (Steve Zahn), both of whom are also unsatisfied with their lives, to relive the fun they had making movies as kids and bring "Anaconda" back on the big screen - though they struggle to figure out if it's a "reimagining" of the original or a "spiritual sequel." ‘AVATAR: FIRE AND ASH’ REVIEW: IT'S TIME TO LEAVE PANDORA Doug (Jack Black), Claire (Thandiwe Newton) and Griff (Paul Rudd) in Columbia Pictures' "Anaconda." (Matt Grace/© 2025 CTMG Sony Picture Entertainment) The four of them fly down to Brazil on an extremely tight budget, where they are joined by oddball snake handler Santiago (Selton Mello) and the reserved Ana (Daniela Melchior), the woman who they think is the captain of the riverboat they board but is apparently on the run from illegal gold miners. They start filming in the jungle and everything seems to be going according to plan - that is until...

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