Anaconda (2025) | Touching to a Point
Movie Review by: Michael Field
When I read about the premise, I knew what kind of movie I would be getting. When I learned of the cast (Jack Black, Paul Rudd, and Steve Zahn), I knew what kind of movie I would be getting. When I watched the trailer for the first time, I knew what kind of movie I would be getting. Then, I watched it.
Why Am I Tearing Up During Anaconda?!
I wasn’t prepared for the movie they gave me…at least in the first twenty minutes. We meet Griff (Rudd), on the set of a commercial, still chasing his dream of being a [successful] actor in Hollywood, only it’s not quite working out. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Then we meet Doug (Black) all the way back in Buffalo, toiling away in life at a video production company that seems to focus on wedding videos, only Doug prefers to call them short films. When Griff returns to Buffalo for a surprise birthday party for his childhood friend Doug, he brings along an old VHS copy of a movie they made together when they were kids, along with Kenny (Zahn) and Claire (Thandiwe Newton). Suddenly, I’m reminiscent of my own youth — writing scripts, making movies with my friends, and all of us sharing dreams of a career in film.There’s a shot during this scene, where the characters, and their friends and family, are sitting together watching the movie, with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces. Obviously, I could relate, and quite honestly, I need to start writing my unauthorized remake of a my favorite childhood film. Raiders of the Lost Ark, anyone? (I know it’s already been done!)
Gotta Have a Theme
Much like the movie, The Anaconda, that Doug is writing within the movie, Anaconda, theme is important. The story couldn’t only be about a big giant snake, even though there’s going to be a big giant snake in it.Our theme here is chasing your dream, but that can’t be done alone. You need your friends and family. They will always support you, love you, and believe in you, even when you don’t believe in yourself. So, once our gang of filmmakers reignite their passion for making movies, it doesn’t take long for the movie to getthem on a boat chugging down the Amazon River, shooting their Anaconda re-imagining. We get a subplot about a woman named Ana (Daniela Melchior) who is on the run from some menacing looking dudes, while she’s hunting for…something. She pretends to be the ship’s captain, helping the four friends make their film, while also completing her own secret mission that will kick off the film’s third act. The boat crew is rounded out by snake-wrangler, Santiago (Selton Mello) and his trained anaconda, who is playing the title character in the film within the film.
What Works
Despite getting real emotional heart to the impetus for Doug and the gang to make their film, there was plenty of time for inane levity. Here are some moments in the movie that work:
Our four filmmakers. When we start the movie, it’s clear that Newton sticks out like a sore comedic thumbnext to Jack Black, Paul Rudd and Steve Zahn. (And so would I!) But she holds her own and shows off her comedic skills alongside her co-stars.
The ultimate villain in this movie. The anaconda of all anacondas. This thing is enormous, and it wreaks havocupon everyone and everything that crosses its path, including the other film crew who is actually shooting the real Anaconda reboot.
The meta-style of storytelling here is nothing ground-breaking, for we’ve seen it before, but it works just as well. Director Tom Gormican deliversin this movie, just as he did with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, another fun film with great heart. (I highly recommend you check out Nicolas Cage playing himself, yelling at himself for being a loser. I mean…hell yes!) Ice Cube! He’s back and he’sbringing the flair from the original movie with him.
Jack Black is underrated by many, but not by those who know. He could easily look for the funniest joke to make or adlib some ridiculous piece of dialogue, and it would be hilarious, but it would’ve betrayed the character. Doug is the heart of this movie. He needs to play it that way, and Black understands that assignment. Even Rudd, for all his ad-libbing in countless Apatow productions and Marvel movies, shows some restraint here by focusing on character and not trying to find the quick laugh.
What Doesn’t Work
No movie is perfect, and this one is no exception. While there’s a blend of comedy and drama, it does tend to get uneven at times. There are moments of meandering while traveling down the Amazon River. Never mind that we’re shooting a film with a cast and crew of 4-6 people. I mean…what kind of movie are we making here? The gold hunting subplot with our phony captain, Ana, seems unnecessary and more of a detour to our story than anything else.
Ultimately…
This is a good Saturday night movie to watch at home, maybe double-feature it with the original, especially since they gives us an ending that teases even more of that meta storytelling. I’d even suggest tossing on Living in Oblivion as a nice companion piece to this film, given the filmmaking aspect of the story. I question the Christmas Day release date for the film’s theatrical run, but theatrical is all kinds of messed up these days in a post-pandemic, post-streaming world, so who’s to say that was the wrong date to choose. All I know is that I had a good time watching this film, which is definitely influenced by my own childhood dreams of being a filmmaker. Chasing dreams isn’t limited to the creative arts. We all can relate to tapping back into our childhood passions. This movie does that. Maybe that’s the biggest lesson to take away from this movie.
About the Michael Field
I’ve been telling stories my whole life, on film sets, behind microphones, on the page, and in late-night writing sessions that stretch until morning. From short films and feature scripts to podcasts, digital series, and novels, I’m drawn to characters who wrestle with identity, legacy, and the choices that define them. Over the years, I’ve directed more than a hundred shorts, co-created the Forgotten Cinema podcast, and written scripts that blend pulp adventure, supernatural mystery, and human drama. My novels carry that same mix of heart, danger, and imagination, expanding my storytelling into new mediums and audiences. But at the center of it all is one simple thread: I believe stories are how we connect, how we remember, question, laugh, and imagine. Check out my personal website for more. Storytelling isn’t just my career; it’s the way I move through the world.
