Matt_Layden Let me tell you about a little film called Anaconda. I watched this film a dozen times as a kid, I loved monster flicks. Anaconda was bad, it was utterly bad, yet I've seen it more times than I want to admit. Now we visit it again, years later, so we can laugh at how ridiculous this film is. We open with Danny Trejo, for some reason they dubbed his lines. He doesn't speak English, but the voice the use is so much higher than what we all know to be the gravel voice of Trejo. Just something that I found funny.The monster effects are laughably bad at times and worse at others. When the snake is animatronic, the obviousness of it all makes it seems like a bad ride at universal. Then we have the CGI effects, which make the snake seem like it doesn't even belong on the screen. The first attack on a human, the entire thing looks like one giant blur. The first time we see the snake in general isn't with some Jaws like reveal, it's simply the thing slithering around in the jungle before it attacks a puma. No big reveal, no slow reveal...just the damn snake out in the open. In Ebert's review of the film, which is enthusiastically gave a thumbs up, he claims Jon Voight delivers a brave and slimy performance. That I can agree with, but I wouldn't necessarily call it a great performance. It's without a doubt, memorable, but in the campy way. He glares at almost everyone on the screen, his skin is slimy like a snake and immediately untrustworthy. No one else seems to think they are in a bad movie here. Voight seems to know this from the get go. Watch this film and then watch The Room and tell me the performances from them are not almost identical. Is he doing DeNiro? Is he doing Brando? Who the hell knows. It's one wacky performance, that much is a guarantee. This was one of the early Jennifer Lopez films that probably helped launch her career. Why? I don't know, she doesn't offer anything interesting here. Ice Cube and Owen Wilson play against their usual type, I don't think we've seen either of them in a monster flick since this one, Suffice to say, Anaconda is a bad film that boarders on being highly enjoyable. Sit back, laugh and enjoy the absurdity of Anaconda. If you take this film seriously...at all, even for one second, then you will utterly hate it.

jacobjohntaylor1 If you want see a really scary monster movie. This is the one to see. This is one of the scariest movies made before 2004. Anacondas The hunt for the blood Orchid is scarier. But still this a very scary movie. I don't care what the silly critics say. This movie has a great story line. It also has great acting. It also has great special effects. Some people go to the Amazon in make a nature documentary. There running to some very big Anacondas. This a very scary movie. See it. Jennifer Lopez is a great actress. Ice Cube is a great actor. Eric S.t.o.l.t.z is a great actor. Jon V.o.i.g.h.t is a great actor. All the Anaconda movies are must sees.

Python Hyena Anaconda (1997): Dir: Luis Llosa / Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Jon Voight, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, Kari Wuhrer: Interesting camera angle transcends from the snake's mouth as it devours a victim whom will give a sadistic wink as he is regurgitation. Snakes are a common fear and that occurs to a group of researchers scouting for a lost tribe. After assisting Jon Voight from a boat wreckage Eric Stoltz is injured and laid up and in need of medical attention. Voight is out to capture the large reptile alive. Director Luis Llosa creates an ominous atmosphere. He previously made Sniper as well as the action flop The Specialist. Voight steals the film as the icy villain who at one point, breaks someone's neck using only his legs. He will come to learn that anacondas are a creature that is best left alone. The rest of the cast are introduced quickly and are mainly issued as menu items for the snake. Jennifer Lopez does display a smart and resourceful heroine. Ice Cube is featured in fine form among the crew. Stoltz is wasted in a role where he mainly catches up on sleep. Kari Wuhrer has a tense scene where Voight chokes her out using only his legs. The snake itself is effective but real anacondas cannot move that swift on land. Film argues the power of such creatures as the structure of a face is visible within its body as it swims past the camera. It is an often exciting thriller that puts the squeeze on the audience. Score: 8 ½ / 10

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Anaconda" is a 1997 movie directed by Luis Llosa. Almost 20 years ago,it somehow killed his career as a director as he was very prolific before that, but only directed one film afterward. He worked mostly as a producer since then. The writer team is the same as on the famous film "Top Gun" and they also did a sequel to this one here. "Anaconda" scored quite a few Razzie nominations (the Razzies got it wrong again, as they usually do), but I have to say I was occasionally entertained watching this and I would not even call it a guilty pleasure.It starts a bit randomly with Danny Trejo ("Machete") in the first scene committing suicide after the snake attacks him. Who he is or why he is shown we never find out. I am not sure if they just wanted him in there because he was famous (if he was?) or what was the whole purpose of that intro. Other than that, the film has a couple more well-known actors included: Anademy Award winner Jon Voight, Academy Award nominee Owen Wilson, Golden Globe nominees Eric Stoltz and (incredibly hot) Jennifer Lopez, rapper Ice Cube, Jonathan Hyde and Kari Wuhrer, who has been in quite a few (animal) horror films. The standout is Voight though, sporting a ponytail in this film and portraying a character at least as scary as the snake monster he is after. He saves one guy's life early in the film, but takes another later on. A true monster he plays here. So it was basically a fight of human beast vs. animal beast. And would you have guessed that swallowing a dangerous tropic bee can save your life from the Anaconda. It did for one character as he was in the cabin pretty much for the rest of the film afterward.Basically, the film is all about people being in the water and the dangerous situation with the audience wondering if the giant snake will appear or not. I thought this invisible danger was actually bigger than the real danger when the beast occurred. But that's usually the case for me that invisible danger works better to scare me. That is also why "The Blair Witch Project" had such an impact on me. One thing that surprised me is how Wilson's character becomes the aide to Voight so quickly in the film. Far too quickly for my taste. Anyway, maybe he saw a strong leader or father figure in him I guess and he was just easy to manipulate. Oh yeah and then there is also the bee scene I mentioned earlier. Man that was scary and gross when they get the insect out of the guy's mouth, probably tougher on my than the most snake scenes.What I liked was how they managed to show how everybody felt out of place in the jungle except Voight's character who was all home and natural in there. I am not sure if I liked the scene where the team try to trick Voight's character (and succeed), but the "A*shole in 1"-comment was kinda cool. What I did wonder was how Voight's character (after he seemed to be dead early) managed to get out of the water with the tranquilizer in his blood. That was not particularly realistic. And I was a bit surprised about how the snake always showed up where the team was.I liked about the film that, at 90 minutes including ending credits, it was not longer than it should have been and they kept it pretty much very essential. It was also not too difficult to create a connection with all the characters and quickly understand who is who, which is usually one of the most important things about a film. But that also could have been as I was quite familiar with most of the cast. However, I wished that maybe they would have gone for a slightly different ending in which the animal prevails and just kills everybody. Could have made for a nice change. Anyway, decent animal horror film. Recommended.