I’ve said it before – if you’re a studio looking to do a reboot/remake, you’re better to go with a bad film.  It gives you a much better chance of improving on the original!  That’s the approach adopted by writer-director Tom Gormican because the 1997 Anaconda was a garbage.  I gave it a C-grading, its current public IMDB score is a paltry 4.9 out of 10, and it was nominated for 6 Razzie Awards including worst picture (losing to The Postman).  It won’t rank too highly on the resume of stars Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube and Jon Voight.

This 2025 edition makes the right decision in being a self-aware, spoof-like comedy.  It stars four lifelong friends who loved watching Anaconda as teenagers growing up and now, with one of them securing the film rights, they set out to make their own modern-day reboot.  Doug (Black) will write the script and director, with Griff (Rudd), Kenny (Zahn), and Claire (Newton) taking on the acting roles.  With minimal experience and next-to-no budget, they head to the Amazon, meet a snake handler, and start work on their “indie style” project.

Anaconda is far funnier than I expected.  It brings back memories Ed Wood, Tropic Thunder, and The Disaster Artist in that we’re watching a good movie about people making a terrible movie.  I enjoyed the comedic chemistry between the quartet with each have a distinctly different vibe – from Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) with his ego-driven persona, through to Steve Zahn (That Thing You Do) as a spaced-out alcoholic.  Brazilian actor Selton Mello (I’m Still Here) adds to the entertainment with scene-stealing portrayal of the quirky snake guy.

An additional promotion point is that the shoot took place here in Queensland with support from the State and Federal Government.  Visual effects play a part, but I was sufficiently convinced we were in the Amazon despite the locations being in our own backyard – Springbrook National Park and Purling Brook Falls on the Gold Coast being among them.  Further, the final stages of production were interrupted when Cyclone Alfred swept through in early March 2025.

It’s back-to-back outings for writer-director Tom Gormican where he blends reality and fiction in pursuit of laughs.  The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent saw Nicolas Cage play a warped version of himself caught up in criminal arms dealing.  It was a good idea but wasn’t well executed (repetitive, convoluted).  Gormican does a much better job with Anaconda and yeah, while it does features goofily large snakes, the jokes land and the characters arcs have more heft.

If looking for amusement over the Christmas holidays, Anaconda could be your answer.  A rare example where the remake significantly surpasses the original.