Anaconda Review: Jack Black and Paul Rudd Go Full Meta in a Silly Snake Comedy

Anaconda is a self-aware reimagining that leans into the absurd.

Nostalgia for the original ‘Anaconda,’ released amid the late 90s creature-feature craze, runs deep. As an 8-year-old in 1997, few things thrilled me more than a giant snake terrorizing its prey while Jennifer Lopez and Ice Cube looked on. Now, in 2025, it feels surreal to see a new ‘Anaconda’—not quite a sequel or a reboot, but a convoluted yet hilarious reimagining.

In ‘Anaconda’ (2025), Jack Black and Paul Rudd play Doug and Griff, lifelong friends and film fans whose faded filmmaking dreams leave Doug stuck making wedding videos and Griff struggling as a background actor. Griff gets rights to the ‘Anaconda’ franchise; he, Doug, and their friends Kenny and Claire travel to the Amazon to make a remake, but encounter real giant snakes.

The Tone and the Joke

It’s most easily summed up by a self-aware quote Black delivers in the film: “We came here to make an Anaconda movie, and now we are in the movie Anaconda!” The whole thing is knowingly silly, without a serious bone in its slithering body. Trying to explain the concept to someone else is in itself a tongue-twisting challenge, but that doesn’t mean the movie isn’t fun.

Director Tom Gormican and co-writer Kevin Etten have a flair for tongue-in-cheek comedy, evident in their previous project: the meta Nicolas Cage-as-himself film, ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.’ Teaming this with ‘Anaconda’ would create a double-feature that celebrates both self-awareness and genre play.

Performances and Comedy Highlights

In a world of movies driven by intellectual property, the ‘Anaconda’ franchise has sat untouched for nearly 30 years. It’s a bold move to make the film about two nostalgic friends trying to revive an IP themselves, but Rudd and Black are so darn charming and funny that the overall journey is fun despite its absurdity.

I feared this reimagining would be a classic case of “all the funny parts were in the trailer,” but I was surprised to find the humor held up throughout. The biggest laugh came from Paul Rudd’s dead-on impersonation of Jon Voight’s bizarre ‘Anaconda’ accent—he nailed the odd cadence and exaggerated drawl, making the scene memorable instead of just a throwaway gag.

Another highlight featured Zahn’s doltish character and a perfectly timed bit of literal potty humor: the awkwardness and escalation of the scene showcased sharp physical comedy, making it one of the year’s most outrageous moments.

As for the actual anacondas, they are mostly (if not all) computer-generated snakes that never actually make you feel like there is any tangible danger. That’s not really a complaint, considering the movie is an outright comedy and a full departure from the original film, which leaned more toward horror.

Verdict

2025’s ‘Anaconda’ is deliberately silly and absurd, but the strong comedic performances of its leads make the experience worthwhile. While I question the Christmas Day release date, this film is best suited for viewers looking for light-hearted fun and those who enjoyed the cult status of the original 1997 movie.