YNOT at the Movies

From dead pigs to giant snakes, "Anaconda" (USA 2025 | 99 min.) presents itself as a comedy that prefers blunt force over subtlety. The film knows exactly how ridiculous it is and leans into that knowledge instead of apologizing. This is an over-the-top, slapstick-driven comedy that treats plausibility as optional, and that choice is very much intentional. The film is often silly, consistently energetic, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny, especially when it gives Jack Black room to operate.

The premise is knowingly absurd. Four childhood friends, all wrestling with a midlife crisis, travel to the Amazon to remake their favorite horror movie from the 1990s. That movie happens to be "Anaconda" (1997), the famously bad creature feature. Reality, naturally, refuses to cooperate. A real giant anaconda appears, and what begins as a chaotic, low-rent filmmaking adventure turns into a life-or-death ordeal. The film is careful to clarify that this is not a reboot. It is an entirely original comedy that borrows the monster concept as a way to poke fun at the original and at the very idea of remaking it.

Much of the humor comes from self-awareness. The screenplay takes amusing shots at Sony itself, with moments of self-mockery that feel surprisingly sharp for a studio-backed comedy. Those jokes add humor that complements the broader physical gags.

The comic chemistry between Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) is deliberately lopsided. Jack Black is clearly the funnier presence here, relying on exaggerated physical comedy and shameless commitment. One of the film's biggest laughs comes when Doug's friends place a dead pig on his head in a desperate attempt to distract the snake, a gag that is as crude as it is effective. Paul Rudd, by contrast, plays Griff as a character whose humor is rooted in verbal wit and wordplay, a style that feels underutilized in a movie that overwhelmingly favors slapstick.

Some characters in the movie exist largely as decorative elements, most notably Ana Almeida (Daniela Melchior), who drifts through the story without much narrative or comic purpose. The film seems unconcerned with this imbalance, prioritizing momentum and gags over fully developed supporting roles.

This comedy is not believable, restrained, or particularly interested in coherence. It is loud, broad, and gleefully excessive. By openly mocking the original 1997 film and repurposing its already absurd monster mythology, it turns a once-ridiculous thriller into a self-aware comedy built on physical mayhem and industry satire. Audiences know exactly what they are signing up for, and the film delivers on that expectation with a straight face and a wink.

"Anaconda" opens in theaters on Thursday, December 25, 2025.