The first trailer for Sony's upcoming Anaconda reboot received a positive response when it slithered online back in September. With The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent director Tom Gormican at the helm, a meta reboot with a group of friends—and a cast led by Paul Rudd and Jack Black—attempting to remake the original 1997 movie had all the makings of a hit.
Unfortunately, as we first reported on FearHQ.com, critics haven't found much to enjoy (despite glowing social media reactions).
The first reviews have been published today, and they're largely negative. As reboots go, it seemingly falls short of its predecessor, with Gormican trying and failing to recapture what gave the original Anaconda such staying power. There are laughs to be had, but the premise reportedly falls flat.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Anaconda can’t be accused of skimping on excitement when the characters spend half the movie racing through the jungle in cars or on foot or by boat. But the weightless and unimaginative action feels less cinematic than theme park-y."
Awards Radar writes, "Anaconda is a bad remake of the creature feature but a decent comedy about making movies," and Next Best Picture adds, "The actors are fine, but their utilization is inconsistent, and with a severe lack of dazzling spectacle, the film becomes a languid exercise. Whatever amusement is found here is either too forced or too shallow to be worthy of investment."
"Anaconda is a disappointing effort from director Tom Gormican," IGN states, "who cannot crack the code on Sony's bewildering aquatic not-really-horror reboot." io9 fell somewhere in the middle. "There’s about as much to like about Anaconda as there is to dislike," the site explains.
The movie had some fans. "It is probably too much hyperbole to call Sony’s Anaconda the funniest movie of the year, but for my money it really is," Deadline shares, with the San Francisco Chronicle promises that it, "Delivers moments of real terror in a smart comedy that deserves to be a bigger success than the original."
With 43 reviews counted on Rotten Tomatoes, Anaconda has arrived on the review aggregator with a "Rotten" 35%. The beloved 1997 effort only has 39%, so perhaps Gormican has delivered exactly what he needed with this new effort.
In Anaconda, Doug (Jack Black) and Griff (Paul Rudd) have been best friends since they were kids, and have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favourite movie: the cinematic "classic" Anaconda. When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming.
However, things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed.
Written by Tom Gormican & Kevin Etten, produced by Brad Fuller, Andrew Form, Kevin Etten, Tom Gormican, and executive produced by Samson Mücke, Anaconda stars Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Steve Zahn, Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior, and Selton Mello.
Anaconda arrives in theaters on December 25.