Today’s quick review: Anaconda. Filmmaker Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez) gets a career-making opportunity when Dr. Steven Cale (Eric Stoltz) hires her to direct a documentary on a mythical Amazonian tribe. With her cameraman Danny (Ice Cube) and a small crew in tow, they set off down the Amazon River. But when the expedition wanders into the territory of a man-eating anaconda, they must turn to Paul Serone (Jon Voight), a shady snake hunter, to survive.
Anaconda is an adventure movie with horror elements about a film crew’s deadly encounter with a gargantuan snake. Deep into the Amazon when disaster strikes, Terri and the others must choose between abandoning their journey and trusting their lives to a mysterious stranger. Anaconda serves up a mix of adventure movie peril and campy monster thrills. However, mediocre scares and dated special effects keep the movie from reaching its full potential.
Anaconda has a few things going for it, including its setup, its characters, and its setting. The movie does a capable job of setting the stage, luring Terri and the others away from civilization and into the territory of the snake. The cast has some nice variety to it, with distinct personalities that bounce off one another well. Terri and the others aren’t especially deep, but they are enough to make the story engaging for a receptive audience.
The weak link in the chain is the anaconda itself. It works just fine as a plot device: an unseen menace that threatens to pick off the film crew one by one. But as an onscreen presence it leaves something to be desired. The special effects for the snake are fair for the time but haven’t aged well, and the scares are less shocking than the creature deserves. The movie also has a campy streak that shows in a few places and compromises the tone.
How much you get out of Anaconda will depend on what you want out of it. Those looking for hardcore horror or groundbreaking special effects will find it to be a dull watch that brings nothing new to the table. But less exacting viewers who are simply in the mood for a survival thriller will find it to be surprisingly watchable, thanks to the effort it puts into its story and characters.
For an even grimmer survival drama set on a river starring Jon Voight, try Deliverance. For a sci-fi action movie about a group of survivors facing an invisible threat in a jungle, try Predator. For a goofier thriller about deadly snakes, try Snakes on a Plane.
4.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.0 to 6.5 for a decent story without the suspense it needs to leave a lasting impression.