Anaconda 2025: Jack Black, Paul Rudd, and Steve Zahn being Hissterical

The suspense for Anaconda 2025 began just before we entered the movie hall, with the projectionist starting the movie a few minutes earlier than expected for a morning show. But we made it literally in time for the title. Then the intermission was abrupt, and so was the timing at which the movie resumed playing.

Anaconda is a movie within a movie, which then merges into a single reality while doing slapstick and physical comedy that will have you in stitches. By the second half of this crazy movie, I was in tears of laughter with its sheer ridiculous comedy that stack aburdities upon on another until you break.

The Plot

Three friends from high school drop everything to make a reboot of the 1997 movie Anaconda, starring Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, Jon Voight, and Eric Stoltz. Also, before you ask, YES, this IS a Sony Pictures Production just like the original.

Jack Black plays a wedding video maker, Paul Rudd a struggling actor, and Thandiwe Newton, who is newly divorced, all meet up for Black's birthday party, where they relive their filmmaking days.

After a few days of thinking and ideation, the trio gets a tiny loan and ships off to the Amazon to reboot the 1997 cult classic with a real, rented Anaconda snake. Things quickly go off the rails when the rented snake is killed during filming, and they seek out a snake from the wild to use in the movie.

The Cast of Anaconda 2025

The core cast of the movie is Jack Black as Doug McCallister, Paul Rudd as Griff, Thandiwe Newton as Claire Simons, and the hilarious Steve Zahn as Kenny Trent, the slacker screwup who tags along with Doug.

Black and Rudd's comedy stylings gel well with each other into something that is super funny and highly entertaining. Steve Zahn, as usual, is effortlessly funny as the alcoholic who depends on Jack Black for things.

Daniela Melchior plays a mysterious character named Ana Almeida, who is chased by shady people for nefarious purposes. You might remember her from James Gunn's Suicide Squad, playing Ratcatcher 2.

There's also Selton Mello as Santiago Braga, who adds his "Brazilian spice" to the whole adventure, playing a pill-popping, slightly off, snake wrangler who rents the group his snake for movie production.

The director, Tom Gormican, has truly outdone himself with this Anaconda movie being better than both his previous movies, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, put together ( As I'm writing this, I can visualize the combined fan base of Cage and Murphy typing up a storm of disapproval. )

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Plot Twists, Visual Effects, and Jump Scares

You will get at least one cameo from the original 1997 Anaconda movie and possibly more, and not in the way you expect it. There are actual jumpscares in this movie, most of them being comedic, and the CGI is not super-realistic, especially when it comes to the snake, and I don't know if that was on purpose ( probably not ).

The pyrotechnics are great and make up for the bad snake effects.

One particular chase scene reminds me of a scene in the awesome movie Tropic Thunder with Ben Stiller running at full speed, trying to shake a kid off his back, and dodging gunshots.

The wide shots are pretty good, with a few shots of the trio on the boat looking like green screen work, but that's before the serious laughs kick in. Then it's one big LOLer coaster ride. They go light on plot line and crazy on the comedic storytelling with Black and Rudd being the Deadpool & Wolverine of comedy, with just jokes and nothing else.

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Do You Need to Watch Anaconda 1997?

It would be cruel and unusual punishment to recommend that one watch the first Anaconda movie to understand Anaconda 2025. All you need to do is watch a trailer or two and maybe a video or text summary of the movie. The 1997 movie didn't make a lot of sense, both in terms of plot and entertainment value. The only reason you might even need to watch a trailer of the movie would be for some of the jokes to land, and you won't miss much even if you don't.

Should You Watch It? Yes!

If you like absurdly funny comedies, then yes. If no, still yes. This is a movie purely for laughs, right from the lead actors, plot turns, and CGI, so go watch this and laugh your ass off.