Something like this has made a meal of our dear captain.
Two words spring to mind when thinking of the 1997 time-waster Anaconda:
"unremarkable" and "fun." Plagued by average-at-best performances, a predictable script,
laughable special effects, goofs aplenty, and thinly-developed characters, Anaconda places
secondary importance on most everything but the meat-and-potatoes of the film, though even the
kill scenes suffer from minimal gore and a lack of realism. Despite its obvious shortcomings, there is
a certain charm in
watching an animatronic/CGI snake devour a boat full of stereotypes. Although the film delineates
between "good" and "evil" characters, the Anaconda becomes the real hero, and with every head
bitten, bone crushed, and body swallowed, the deadly snake gains more and more favor as the
rooting interest, though in typical Hollywood fashion, its fate seems sealed from the moment the
concept was conceived. Predictable to a fault, the plot drags along and the only real suspense stems
from the order in which secondary characters will be eliminated by the snake.
I'll have a 200-pound man, an extra-large fries, two apple pies, and a diet Coke.
A documentary crew sets out deep into the sticky, humid jungles of the Amazon and up the Rio
Negro in search of the "People of the Mist," a storied and as-of-yet undocumented group of native
peoples. Among them is the film's director, Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez, Maid in Manhattan);
the cameraman, Danny Rich (Ice Cube, xXx: State of the Union);
and a university professor versed in the mystery of the "People of the Mist," Steven Cale (Eric
Stoltz, Memphis Belle). A rather uneventful journey turns deadly serious when the film
crew stumbles upon a snake trapper named Paul Sarone (Jon Voight, Deliverance).
Leading them into a series of dangerous and deadly mishaps in hopes of capturing a giant
Anaconda snake, the crew falls prey to not only the snake's deadly bite and ravenous appetite,
but to Sarone's unprincipled methods of snake trapping.
Anaconda delivers a classic "man versus nature" picture where man's intellectual and
technological superiority succumbs to the brute force of a creature that survives only on instinct
and environment. Unfortunately, man suffers heavy losses not necessarily because of the size
and determination of the snake, but because of the general incompetence of the two-legged
creatures. Blame not humanity but rather lazy scriptwriting as the culprit here, though in the
film's defense, and in the defense of most every blasé picture ever created, there would simply
be no picture were the characters uniformly intelligent and well-versed in their environment and
all that may be found in it. Nevertheless, the more successful picture would find a way to create
a tense atmosphere and demonstrate the power of the enemy without sacrificing the integrity of
the characters or insult the intelligence of the audience, a formula embraced by the genre's very
best, for example Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece Alien.
All is not completely lost with Anaconda. Aside from the fun factor, the film does enjoy
steady, albeit visually unappealing (due not to technique but rather setting), direction by Luis
Llosa (The Specialist). Llosa does well
to capture the murky, humid South American locale, the camera simply swallowing the scenery
but
doing little for the feel of the film during the action sequences. Anaconda's greatest
asset
comes via the cast, a collection of moderately big names that all turn in acceptable, occasionally
laughable, but never extraordinary, performances. Eric Stoltz delivers the best of the bunch, the
actor spending most of his screen-time laid up comatose under a mosquito net and with a
bandage
around his neck. A practically unrecognizable Jennifer Lopez meanders through the film, and
despite top billing, does little other than stand around until the end of the movie. Ice Cube is,
well,
Ice Cube, but Jon Voight turns in a rather unique performance as the film's villain, playing
him with a mysterious yet magnetic aura, his very appearance stating the fact that he's up to no
good but, like the snake, the easiest character to root for despite his status as film's villain.
Anaconda debuts on Blu-ray with an adequate 1080p, 2.40:1-framed transfer. The film
takes on a slightly washed out appearance throughout, bright in some scenes but generally
somewhat hazy and slightly soft. Colors are many but also appear somewhat dull. Whether
Sarone's red t-shirt, Danny's Dodger-blue cap, or the many shades of green found in the
background jungle locales, the palette appears somewhat dim but nevertheless appropriate when
considered in the context and mood of the film. Detail appears sufficiently rendered, whether in
human faces, close-ups of the snake, the jungle canopy, or the odds and ends scattered about the
boat. The transfer does enjoy a fair sense of depth. Film grain is present though not at all heavy
save for but a few scenes and generally over dark backdrops. Blacks fluctuate between a dark tone
and a shade of gray. Flesh tones, like colors in general, appear slightly dulled. Anaconda
will not set the high definition world on fire, but the transfer appears adequately strong in context of
the film's intended appearance.
Anaconda devours the listening area with a powerful, loud, and entertaining Dolby TrueHD
5.1 lossless soundtrack. The opening attack sequence that sees the snake tear a structure to
pieces in search of its prey impresses. Whether the panicked hammering of nails to secure the
structure or the snake tearing through the floorboards, the soundtrack immerses the listener in the
terror and brings the scene to vivid life. Music, too, fills the soundstage with a nice, clear
presentation. The film's many gunshots manage to pack a wallop, the crack of a rifle booming and
the echoing sensation traveling all through the soundstage. Minor and major sound effects are
presented in a 360-degree sound field. A blowing rainstorm in chapter two highly impresses with a
sense of total immersion into the sequence. Likewise, the ambient sounds of the jungle pour out
of every speaker to fine effect, about the only thing missing from the experience the sweltering
heat. Thankfully, Blu-ray cannot recreate that! With clear dialogue reproduction,
Anaconda's lossless soundtrack delivers a fun listen that engages the senses and serves up
a solid workout for the home theater speakers.
Short on plot but high on fun, Anaconda delivers a suitable movie-watching experience that
requires little more effort than the ability to munch popcorn and swig down a soda. A classic tale of
man versus nature, Anaconda generally sees man at his worst and nature at its best,
though without some offbeat characters, unscrupulous motivations, and generally inept
decision-making skills, there would be no story. Ultimately, the movie works in spite of its
shortcomings, making for a goofy yet entertaining 89 minute amusement park-style ride. It never
scares or churns the stomach, but it delivers just enough excitement and at just the right pacing to
hold interest. The very definition of "ho-hum entertainment," Anaconda is another "lazy
Saturday afternoon" sort of movie. Sony's Blu-ray release of the film suits it nicely. With a decent
1080p video transfer and an exciting lossless soundtrack, the technical presentation suffices,
though fans salivating to learn more about the film will be disappointed with the bone-dry extras
section. Anaconda earns a recommendation as a weekend rental.
Blu-ray.com, in conjunction with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, is pleased to announce another giveaway! This time, we're sending five lucky Blu-ray.com members a Blu-ray copy of the newly released 'Anaconda'.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'Air Force One', 'Anaconda', and 'Glory' to Blu-ray on June 2nd. For all three releases, video will be presented in 1080p AVC accompanied by a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. As with all recent Sony ...
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