Anaconda has already put itself into contention for the silliest movie of 2026 and we’re only a week in. Photo: Columbia Pictures.
The late 90s and early 2000s were a weird time for horror films.
Aside from Scream and Saw, there were very few original franchises that both gripped and scared the masses.
Instead, the world was subject to countless remakes and sequels of the 1970s and 80s juggernauts like Halloween, Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, or films that were so dirt cheap that even if the studio only made a few tens of millions, it would still make a profit.
1997’s Anaconda was one of the rare films that wasn’t in either of those camps. Instead, it was made on a reasonable budget with a bunch of up-and-comers like Ice Cube, J-Lo and Owen Wilson and made around $140 million.
The film was a critical bomb, but it formed a cult-like following that saw five straight-to-DVD and video on demand sequels across the next two and a half decades.
Fast forward to 2025 and Sony has rebooted the franchise, not as a horror film, but instead as a comedy starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd.
Centred on best friends Griff, Doug, Kenny and Claire, the group reconnects on Griff’s birthday, where they reminisce about films they used to make as kids.
Doug, a struggling actor, then informs the group that he has bought out the rights to the Anaconda franchise with the belief that the group can reconnect by making a new film together.
Reluctantly, the group travels to the Amazon to remake the cult classic on a budget of just $40,000. However, little do they know that a real giant and murderous anaconda might actually derail the entire project.
Let it be known, this movie is meta as hell.
It is well aware that the original is dated and that the original cast’s performances are, while not very good, iconic.
At no point does it treat its own film or the original as anything other than a fun time, which is the best route this movie could have ever taken.
It’s not Citizen Kane, it’s not Alien, heck, it’s not even Shaun of the Dead, it’s just an irreverent comedy playing into what makes people love the franchise so much.
It is more of a comedy than a horror as well. While there are jump scares, the scares don’t carry the film.
What does is the core cast’s infectious chemistry. The aforementioned Jack Black and Paul Rudd, along with Steve Zahn and Thandiwe Newton, are so funny together that despite what silly and over-the-top set piece or dialogue they’re trying to present, it still comes across as hilarious.
If I were to compare this to anything else, it would be the 21 Jump Street movies with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. While not as crude as those films, the parody-like nature of them is definitely present here.
Personally, I loved Anaconda. It’s such a fun movie to start off the year.
The question as to whether it’s good is another thing entirely, but there’s no denying that it’s entertaining as hell.
Anaconda is showing in cinemas across the country.
