★ 6 / 10
An uneven but enjoyable re-interpretation
aronharde
With the new Anaconda movie starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd coming out, I was surprised to see that another Anaconda movie from China was released in 2024. I…
With the new Anaconda movie starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd coming out, I was surprised to see that another Anaconda movie from China was released in 2024. I love jungle adventure horror movies featuring creatures or oversized animals, and even though many of them are not particularly high quality, I usually have a good time watching them. This film is a reinterpretation of the 1997 movie and uses many of the same elements while differentiating itself enough to avoid feeling like a complete copy.The story follows a group of circus athletes traveling by boat through a rainforest. Things quickly stop going according to plan, and they encounter a mysterious man along the way. As if that were not enough, they also become targets of multiple giant snakes.The movie is very much a mixed bag, as it has several positive aspects but also plenty of flaws. Starting with the snakes themselves, the giant anaconda is rarely as intimidating as it is in this film. It is massive, features a terrifying open mouth as it attacks its victims, and creates a genuinely threatening presence within the rainforest. On the other hand, there are scenes where it moves far too quickly and with a jiggly motion that does not match its size, making it look more silly than scary. The intelligence of the anaconda also shifts depending on what the plot requires. In some scenes it appears unnaturally smart, while in others it becomes easily distracted or simply chooses not to attack so that characters can survive.The visual effects vary greatly in quality. At times the CGI looks surprisingly convincing, although I would have loved to see more practical effects. In other moments, however, the effects look cheap and make the scenes difficult to take seriously. The same inconsistency applies to the acting. Some performances are rather weak, while others stand out more positively, especially the mysterious man.The movie frequently shifts between being a highly enjoyable jungle adventure with dangerous snakes stalking their prey and scenes filled with over the top nonsense that completely ignore the laws of physics. Logic is something you need to abandon entirely while watching this film, as many moments simply do not make sense. Still, if you are willing to overlook these issues, there is a fun creature feature hidden beneath the flaws. While I do not think it is as entertaining as the 1997 movie, I ultimately had a good time with it. [6,3/10]
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★ 4 / 10
Better than the three US sequels
richardtilley-76559
Having recently watched the last of the official Anaconda films, which was diaboloical, I thought I would watch the 2024 Chinese reimagining of the original…
Having recently watched the last of the official Anaconda films, which was diaboloical, I thought I would watch the 2024 Chinese reimagining of the original Anaconda.And It's actually not bad. It's not a scene by scene remake, the action is okay and they've changed the story slightly to be more culturally relevant to them but I really dont get the completely over the top caricature male characters in Chinese films. It's a quick 80 minutes though so it doesnt outstay itself.What they have done very well though are the special effects. It's still not a big budget film but 95% of the time the snakes look like they are actually in the jungle with the humans, they have mass & weight and look really scaly, slimy and three dimensional. Effects are way better than anything the Asylum or similar have done so hats off to them for that.
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★ 5 / 10
Respectable but repetitive giant snake action
kstice-25195
At only 80 minutes, Anaconda (2024) is worth your time if you enjoy giant creature features. However, there's not enough material here to warrant watching it…
At only 80 minutes, Anaconda (2024) is worth your time if you enjoy giant creature features. However, there's not enough material here to warrant watching it more than once. The film gets off to a hasty start, it's not even clear how many people are on the boat until midpoint through the movie. It's safe to say character development wasn't a priority in this film, the closest we ever get to a character backstory is one of the female characters saying that chocolate reminds her of her late brother. One positive aspect of this film is that the main human villain seems more intimidating than the original's Jon Voight. In the original, I always thought it was embarrassing how the characters let the out-of-shape Voight push them around. This villain is a much more typical tough bad guy.Ultimately, an Anaconda film will always be judged by the quality of its snake action. This Chinese adaptation does a respectable but flawed job. Midway through the film, I began to think that I had found a hidden gem. The initial snake attack on the boat is as good as the original's best scenes. But in the second half, you realize why the film is only 80 minutes. The action becomes very repetitive with both the main characters and villain somehow escaping death multiple times. The entire second half of the film is basically the characters sitting in a jungle and being used as bait.Overall, Anaconda is worth having on as background noise for fans of creature features. 5/10.
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4.7/10
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Worth watching