Anacondas (2004) Movie Review
Written By: LFG
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Dwight H. Little
Producer: Verna Harrah
Writers: John Claflin, Daniel Zelman, Michael Miner, Edward Neumeier
Date Released: August 27, 2004
Cast:
Johnny Messner as Bill Johnson
KaDee Strickland as Sam Rogers
Salli Richardson-Whitfield as Gail Stern
Matthew Marsden as Dr. Jack Byron
Eugene Byrd as Cole Burris
Morris Chestnut as Gordon Mitchell
Karl Yune as Tran Wu
Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Ben Douglas
Andy Anderson as John Livingston
Rating = 1.5/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
A group of pharmaceutical researchers believe they have discovered a flower with amazing properties that could heal and prolong human life. The group, led by Dr. Jack Byron (Matthew Marsden), head off to Borneo where the flower is in bloom for only a couple of weeks. However, they arrive during the monsoon season, thus they end up enlisting the help of a local boat man, Bill Johnson (Johnny Messner), who agreed to take them to the flower’s location in exchange for a huge sum of money. Due to bad weather conditions, the group takes an unsafe path, which ended into a disaster after their boat encounters an accident. They end up continuing their journey on foot, which unfortunately is a bad decision considering the horrors that lurk in the wild. This is when a giant anaconda starts to hunt the group for sport, killing them off one by one. Now they must find a way to escape the jungle before they all end up as the anaconda’s next meal.
Gore Factor
There was some degree of gore to the film, but it was done moderately. There were some notable graphic scenes, mostly of snakes attacking humans, however, the poor CGI somehow muted the scare factor. The most horrifying scene would have to be the one where Mitchell (Morris Chestnut) was completely paralyzed after being bitten by the stone spider, and he watches helplessly as the anaconda slithers up to him before it eats him alive. Another disturbing scene featured a dead anaconda whose stomach was ripped open, and a pair of undigested human legs dangled out of it.
The Grave Review
Anacondas (2004) is the second installment of the Anaconda film franchise, and it serves as a sequel to the original Anaconda film released in the 90s. Comparatively, the visual effects and plot for this 2004 film is much more interesting than the first film. The flower they are looking for has amazing healing properties and finding it would benefit a lot of people. This concept appeals to the audience since it is “for the greater good of humanity.” Also, the giant anacondas look much more believable, but only for scenes where it is seen from afar.
The opening scene of the native man being chased and attacked by the anaconda was great and it cemented the thrill of what’s to come in the film. Character-wise, there is a fair mix of beauty, brains, and brawn, however, no one is interesting enough to stand out—except for Kong, Johnson’s pet monkey. It was great to see the perspective of a scared animal who knew what was after them, but he could not say anything or warn anyone about it since he is an animal.
As mentioned previously, there is not a lot of gore in the film, but there were some unforgettable scenes, like when Tran (Karl Yune) was on the verge of drowning in an underwater cave before he was attacked by a huge anaconda. This scene took claustrophobia to another level. Also, one of the most satisfying scenes featured girl power at its finest, and that is when Sam Rogers (KaDee Strickland) single-handedly beheaded an anaconda using a large knife.
Overall, the cinematography was good, and it featured some scenes that would make any person’s skin crawl, like the bird’s-eye view shot of the snake swimming in the murky swamp, but that’s all there is to it. While this film is better than its predecessor, it is only mildly thrilling. Still this would make an enjoyable watch considering it is not scary at all. Most viewers can watch this without flinching in their seat.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Anacondas (2004) 1.5 out of 5 graves.
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