The surprisingly hardy killer snake franchise gets a comedic reboot.
Nobody in their right mind would call 1997’s Anaconda a great film, but it’s a fun one. As a franchise, the killer snake movies have proved surprisingly resilient – did you know there have been five before this latest effort, the last being a crossover with killer croc flick Lake Placid? And now we’re getting a reboot.
Anaconda Trailer
What’s the plot?
This may be all a bit too metatextual. Like The Blair Witch Project: Book of Shadows (remember that one?), the 2025 Anaconda takes place in a world where the first film exists. And like in Peter Jackson’s 2005 take on King Kong, Jack Black is playing a filmmaker on a quest to capture a dangerous animal in a far-flung, exotic locale, heedless of danger. Only he’s a wedding cameraman, he’s dead broke, and this is all a mid-life crisis dealio.
Or, as the official synopsis helpfully informs us:
Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) have been best friends since they were kids, and have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favourite movie: the cinematic “classic” Anaconda. When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming. But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed……
I just want to assure everyone that I am not responsible for that six-dot ellipsis. It’s a direct pull from the press and it’s driving me up the wall.
Who’s in it?
- Paul Rudd as background actor Ronald Griffen “Griff” Jr.
- Jack Black as a wedding videographer Doug McCallister.
- Steve Zahn as Kenny Trent.
- Thandiwe Newton as Claire Simons.
- Daniela Melchior as Ana Almeida.
- Selton Mello as Santiago Braga.
- Ione Skye as Malie McCallister, Doug’s wife.
- Ben Lawson.
When’s it out?
Anaconda slithers into Australian cinemas on Boxing Day. That’s December 26, 2025, for you non-pugilists.
What’s the vibe?
Hey, I’ll show up for people getting devoured by giant animals nine times out of 10, so I’m in. If I have any hesitation, it’s that knowingly going for a comedy take on the concept might be missing the point, but then how do you do a follow-up to a franchise that’s more known for schlock than shocks? But if you and your hangover like slumping in a cinema seat on the day after Christmas – a long-standing tradition around these parts – this might be just the ticket.
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