Movie Reviews for Anaconda

Anaconda

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Movie Reviews of Anaconda

Movie Review: Excellent _Fiction_ Film
Summary: 5 Stars

My personal enjoyment rating: 10 out of 10

My recommendation rating: 10 out of 10. Explanation of recommendation rating: "A must see for everyone with a serious or casual interest in film and anyone else who is not averse to or doesn't otherwise philosophically object to the genre."

_Anaconda_ is a brilliant, genre-bending film, with just the right blend of beautiful cinematography (some of the sunset shots are breathtaking, and there are a lot of creative and effective point-of-view shots), quick-cut thrills, a compelling, scary monster (and an unexpected one in addition), and a great ensemble cast.

A documentary team heads into the Amazon with the intention of finding, studying and filming a little-observed tribe, the Shirishama Indians. On the way, they encounter an mysterious man, Paul Sarone (Jon Voight), who appears to be stranded and grateful that the documentary team saved his life. However, strange things quickly begin happening, such as the anthropologist on the team, Dr. Steven Cale (Eric Stoltz), being stung by a paralyzing wasp while diving, and Sarone gradually takes control, with ulterior motives.

Of course, as a film named _Anaconda_, the plot has something to do with snakes, as well, but telling you what that involvement is, exactly, would count as a spoiler, in my view. However, I can say something about the anacondas in the film, which are a very effective combination of animatronics and CGI. Two animatronic anacondas were made, at an estimated cost of $10 million, one 25 feet long and 1800 pounds, one 40 feet long and 2500 pounds. Animatronics and CGI might not sound like something that would come across as provoking realism and scares to an audience, but thanks to the deftness of the effects crew, and the skill of the actors, the snake scenes provoke just those emotions (note that I'm saying "realism" as an _emotion_, and not claiming that I would mistake the film for a documentary on anacondas or their behavior, which, in lieu of, some people, in a muddled way, seem to subtract points for--fiction, and especially horror fiction, is _fantasy_, folks; get with the program). Of course, the performances were aided by the fact that the snakes, although animatronic, really _were_ dangerous to the actors--a wrong move (or one computer glitch) could result in being crushed by what amounts to a medium-sized truck.

In fact, putting the cast in unusual, often uneasy situations was a decision by the production crew, including director Luis Llosa (a Roger Corman alumnus), that worked to the film's advantage. Aside from the threat of injury or death with the mechanical anacondas, which were filmed at the Los Angeles Arboretum, most of _Anaconda_ was shot on location, on the Amazon, and there are scenes in which tens of real snakes were used, which subsequently got lost in the set. This contributes to a palpable emotional tension that is present throughout the film and that turns out to be the crux of it.

Although the anacondas are thrilling and welcome, the real star of the film, and the real villain, is Sarone. Voight may have won an Oscar for _Coming Home_, but in my opinion, he should have won an Oscar for his performance here, as well. Everything about him is enigmatic, charismatic and threatening--all at the same time, even including his mannerisms and strange accent. Although technically, _Anaconda_ could count as a monster movie (although it has some action leanings, as well), Llosa and crew made an excellent film because they stuck with the basics--telling a great story with great actors who have chemistry together, and showing them working through a series of conflicts and manipulations, with often-tragic results.

Movie Review: Brilliant Saturday Afternoon Creature Feature Classic!
Summary: 5 Stars

These thrillers weren't great cinema, but they were great fun. Scary? No. Did you have the need for everything to be fact-based and believable? Again, no. You were simply entertained, and let your imagination merge with the tinny black-and-white sounds and images -- and travel along for the ride!

With today's post-STAR WARS filmgoers -- people weaned on ILM-esque special effects, the MTVers and video viewers who've had their imaginations and attention spans kidnapped -- I pity them. They missed a modern day, Grade-B sci-fi/horror classic called ANACONDA. There hasn't been seen this good since ALIEN (though PREDATOR is a close second).

ANACONDA is a brilliant re-creation of the lost art of the 1950s double-feature horror genre; not really a homage to, more the real thing. It's CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON with a cheesy computer animated snake in place of a guy in a cheesy rubber suit. It's a Saturday afternoon 'Creature Feature' for people who remember -- and understand -- them. The script is servicable, the cinematography is beautiful, direction is adequate, acting is fun-spirited, the women beautiful and endangered, the heroes machismo and handsome, the monster phantasmagorical -- and we get a bonus surprise by one of the greatest American actors, Jon Voight, doing a magnificent over-the-top, slimy, nasty, reprehensibly heartless villain, complete with a sly wink to the audience. His endearing performance is the key to the film. He understood the film's intent and translated it to the screen for you. If it's in your realm of understanding and experience, you get it and are able to partake in this little slice of cinema heaven.

This film follows the successful thriller sub-genre of The Crew Against The Monster, which first began with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" and carried on with the film of the same name, then through THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, JAWS, ALIEN, THE THING(remake), PREDATOR, and now ANACONDA. Each one of these films was a box office hit (and either have several sequels or remakes to prove it) and are either considered a classic, or well on their way.

In 20 years, they'll be calling ANACONDA a classic. Why wait that long? -- it's one today!

Movie Review: Smart , entertaining action movie. Jon Voight makes this one a guilty pleasure
Summary: 5 Stars

Movie Review: Sssssssssweet movie!
Summary: 5 Stars

Speaking of the computer graphics, it's getting harder and harder to tell what's real and what's fake. I argued with my friend chatchi over whether or not they actually had a giant reptile swallow Owen Wilson (O. Wil)!

On the subject of O. Wil, he should ditch projects like "Royal Tenenbaums" and stick to cool horror movies. Remember "the Haunting?" He was great! His sense of humor and charm set him up perfectly as "the guy you don't think will get killed, but eventually does."

Jon Voight (J. Voi) commandeers this film with his comeback performance. He's really menacing as a modern-day pirate-type guy, especially with his unidentifiable accent, which lends him the perfect air of mystery. I don't want to give away such a masterful plot, but wait until you see J. Voi's surprise re-appearance later in the film!

Eric Stoltz (E.Sto) is my second-favorite red-headed actor (nobody beats Danny Cooksey). It's too bad he's taken out early in the film by an aquatic wasp with the apparent ability to teleport into people's mouths.

And of course, we musn't forget Ice-Cube (I. Cu). He's a terrific pick as the staunch back-up man to J. Lo. I loved him in "Trespass," and I love him here.

If you want to see a giant snake movie, skip "Jaws of Satan" and go right for "Anaconda." Fortunately, "A" comes before "J," so it shouldn't be a problem.

Movie Review: Succeeds on every level
Summary: 5 Stars