Today’s Prayer Focus
Anaconda
also known as “Anakonda,” “Đụng Độ Siêu Trăn,” “Gormican/Etten Snake Project,” “Анаконда,” “大蟒蛇,” “新狂蟒之灾,” “狂蟒之災”
MPA Rating:
for violence/action, strong language, some drug use and suggestive references.
for violence/action, strong language, some drug use and suggestive references.
| Moral Rating: | Not recommended |
| Moviemaking Quality: |
|
| Primary Audience: | Adults |
| Genre: | Action Horror Comedy |
| Length: | 1 hr. 39 min. |
| Year of Release: | 2025 |
| USA Release: |
December 25, 2025 (wide release) DVD: March 17, 2026 |
Relevant Issues
| Featuring |
|---|
|
Jack Black … Doug McCallister Paul Rudd … Ronald Griffin Jr. Steve Zahn … Kenny Trent Thandiwe Newton … Claire Simons Daniela Melchior … Ana Almeida Ice Cube … Ice Cube See all » |
| Director |
|
Tom Gormican |
| Producer |
|
Kevin Etten Andrew Form See all » |
| Distributor |
“It’s the movie they’re dying to remake”
Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Four childhood friends are going through a midlife crisis so they decide to remake their favorite horror movie from the 1990s in the Amazon. When a real giant anaconda shows up, they get more than what they bargain for and their comically chaotic moviemaking turns into a life-or-death situation. The movie that they’re dying to remake? It might just kill them, literally.”
Reviews of…
• Anaconda (1997)
• Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
- Violence: • Intense scenes involving perils and violence • Snake chases and attacks • People crushed and eaten whole by snake • Dead body • Blood • Guns • People shot • Explosions • Animal deaths • Wreck • Chases
- Profane language: • J*sus Chr*st • J*sus • G*d • G*dd*amn (several) • H*ll • D*mn • Holy sh*t
- Vulgar/Crude language: • F-word (1-3) • Bleeped out F-words • Fricking • • Screw • S-words (many) • Bullsh*t • A** • P*ss • Man urinates on another • B*tch • Son of a b*tch •
- Sex: • Sex references throughout (husband “banging another woman” / adultery, etc.) • Romantic interest seen between 2 characters • Flirting • Kiss • Hugs
- Nudity: None except cleavage and a man’s bare chest
- Drugs/Alcohol: Intoxication, pills, alcohol use, reference to being high and drunk
See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.
Positive
Positive—If I had a nickel for every time I saw a reboot of a classic 90s movie that takes place in the jungle that stars Jack Black, and turned out pretty good, I’d have two nickels, which is not a lot but it’s weird it happened twice (I don’t count “Jumanji: The Next Level” as a reboot as it’s technically a sequel to the reboot).
I don’t know if I bonked my head or something recently, but I actually had a really fun with “Anaconda.” The plot was nothing special, although it did have a few interesting surprises and cameos from the original Anaconda film. But the setup, Jack Black and his friends Paul Rudd and Frank Heffley going out into the jungle to remake “Anaconda”, allowed for so much great chemistry and me and my family members found this way funnier than we expected. There were parts where we were practically in hysterics. It’s not flawless or anything. And if you want a movie about making movies with sharper commentary on filmmaking and more daring comedy, “Tropic Thunder” might be what you’re looking for (on VidAngel, of course). But “Anaconda” was still just a good old fashioned great time with a great cast and great gags for anyone wanting to see some funny shenanigans. That’s all I got to say about it.
As a Christian, though, there were some offensive issues, and they weren’t small ones either. The biggest, and only real, problem for me was the language which has over 100 terms including, but not limited to: 2 f-words (according to the closed captions, there were 3, but I didn’t hear the last one. And I doubt it was there because if it did, the film would most likely be rated R), 43 s-words by my count, around 20 abuses of Jesus’s name (about half of them paired with Christ), dozens of misuses of God’s name (paired with “d*mn” about 8 times), and other phrases such as “d*mn, ” “h*ll, ” “b*tch, ” “*ss, ” “*ssh*le, ” and “b*lls.” All very excessive, distracting, and unnecessary.
Outside of that, there’s brief drug use by Steve Zahn’s character who picks pills up from the snake trainer. Someone has to pee on another person’s spider wound to kill the poison. Sexual content is thankfully limited to just a reference to someone “banging” another person (unless you count the crude sexual lyrics of the song “Baby Got Back” which plays in the credits). As for violence, there is some destruction and people do get attacked and eaten by an anaconda. But the only real graphic, bloody content comes from ***SPOILER ALERT*** anaconda death. ***END SPOILER***
So, yeah. “Anaconda” is not given enough credit for how funny it is. If you enjoyed Jack Black’s performances in the Jumanji movies, you’ll have a blast here. At one point, there is a woman passing by our main characters who says that Hollywood doesn’t have any original ideas anymore. True, and that is a real concern for the movie industry. But there’s nothing wrong with putting a new spin on an old idea as long as it makes for an enjoyable fun time with some actors who are naturally funny. For this reviewer, I believe they succeeded. However, some of the enjoyment factor was mitigated by the language which, while not pervasive, was none the less unnecessarily strong, unnecessarily blasphemous, and definitely was on the higher end of its PG-13 rating. I don’t recommend Anaconda for anyone under 14. If teens and adults decide to see it, they should proceed these waters with caution despite the nuggets of comedic gold here.
I don’t know if I bonked my head or something recently, but I actually had a really fun with “Anaconda.” The plot was nothing special, although it did have a few interesting surprises and cameos from the original Anaconda film. But the setup, Jack Black and his friends Paul Rudd and Frank Heffley going out into the jungle to remake “Anaconda”, allowed for so much great chemistry and me and my family members found this way funnier than we expected. There were parts where we were practically in hysterics. It’s not flawless or anything. And if you want a movie about making movies with sharper commentary on filmmaking and more daring comedy, “Tropic Thunder” might be what you’re looking for (on VidAngel, of course). But “Anaconda” was still just a good old fashioned great time with a great cast and great gags for anyone wanting to see some funny shenanigans. That’s all I got to say about it.
As a Christian, though, there were some offensive issues, and they weren’t small ones either. The biggest, and only real, problem for me was the language which has over 100 terms including, but not limited to: 2 f-words (according to the closed captions, there were 3, but I didn’t hear the last one. And I doubt it was there because if it did, the film would most likely be rated R), 43 s-words by my count, around 20 abuses of Jesus’s name (about half of them paired with Christ), dozens of misuses of God’s name (paired with “d*mn” about 8 times), and other phrases such as “d*mn, ” “h*ll, ” “b*tch, ” “*ss, ” “*ssh*le, ” and “b*lls.” All very excessive, distracting, and unnecessary.
Outside of that, there’s brief drug use by Steve Zahn’s character who picks pills up from the snake trainer. Someone has to pee on another person’s spider wound to kill the poison. Sexual content is thankfully limited to just a reference to someone “banging” another person (unless you count the crude sexual lyrics of the song “Baby Got Back” which plays in the credits). As for violence, there is some destruction and people do get attacked and eaten by an anaconda. But the only real graphic, bloody content comes from ***SPOILER ALERT*** anaconda death. ***END SPOILER***
So, yeah. “Anaconda” is not given enough credit for how funny it is. If you enjoyed Jack Black’s performances in the Jumanji movies, you’ll have a blast here. At one point, there is a woman passing by our main characters who says that Hollywood doesn’t have any original ideas anymore. True, and that is a real concern for the movie industry. But there’s nothing wrong with putting a new spin on an old idea as long as it makes for an enjoyable fun time with some actors who are naturally funny. For this reviewer, I believe they succeeded. However, some of the enjoyment factor was mitigated by the language which, while not pervasive, was none the less unnecessarily strong, unnecessarily blasphemous, and definitely was on the higher end of its PG-13 rating. I don’t recommend Anaconda for anyone under 14. If teens and adults decide to see it, they should proceed these waters with caution despite the nuggets of comedic gold here.
David, age 21 (USA)
PLEASE share your observations and insights to be posted here.
Secular Movie Critics
…lighter-than-air comedy… consistent supply of chuckles… average… [3/4]
Johnny Oleksinski, New York Post
…limp premise… It’s genuinely baffling the number of fronts on which “Anaconda” faceplants. …it’s an unfunny, uninspired mess. Watching Sony’s quarterly earnings call would be more entertaining and just as revealing about the state of their business. …Paul Rudd & Jack Black can’t save a brutally unfunny rock-bottom for studio IP [intellectual property] era…
Marshall Shaffer, The Playlist
…a meta mistake… unfunny horror…
Odie Henderson, The Boston Globe or RogerEbert.com
…scant laughs and zero scares… the only joke that lands is the idea that anyone would want to remake that movie. …
Peter Debruge, Variety
…edgy enough to make adults laugh and just family friendly enough to let kids have a good time with their parents too. It's hilarious, harmless, and puts a fun spin on a familiar formula…
Ethan Anderton, SlashFilm
…a regurgitated mess… Lumbered with joke-light dialogue, low-stakes action and a rubbish CGI snake. … [2/5]
Matt Goldberg, Empire
…does not aspire to much as an action or horror movie… Rudd…abandons his everyman persona to play the Dumber to Black’s Dumb. Where the film falters is in finding a game for Newton to play. …doesn't squeeze its audience too hard as its comedy slithers toward dumb fun…
Matt Schimkowitz, AV Club
My Ratings: Moral rating: Extremely Offensive / Moviemaking quality: 4½