Plot: What’s it about?
A documentary crew has been dispatched to the dangerous region of the Amazon, where it hopes to uncover a certain tribe, one hidden within the depths of the jungles. The crew includes director Terri (Jennifer Lopez), resident anthropologist Steve (Eric Stoltz), uptight host Warren (Jonathan Hyde), cameraman Danny (Ice Cube), producer Denise (Kari Wuhrer), and soundman Gary (Owen Wilson), quite a colorful assortment, to be sure. The crew goes through some spats, but remains on course and gets some terrific footage, though when they stop to assist a stranded traveler, things take a turn for the worse. The man is Paul Sarone (Jon Voight), a hunter who claims to know the location of the hidden tribe, but insists a different course needs to be taken, as opposed to the one in the crew’s plans. After he stages an “accident” that confines Steve to his bed, he starts to take over the expedition, but his intentions have nothing to do with the tribe, instead he plans to hunt a most dangerous creature. Can the crew manage to survive this ordeal, or will Sarone’s ambition wind up getting them all killed?
I can’t help but crack up whenever I think of Jon Voight’s work in Anaconda, as it ranks as one of the most over the top efforts of all time. He is able to turn in the kind of performance seen in those classic 1950s B movies, which is bad news for some audiences, but in a movie like Anaconda, I think its excellent news. His appearance is as slimy and seedy as the character’s persona, which given the role he has here, that’s pretty slimy indeed. Voight opted to use one of the worst accents I’ve heard outside of Costner in Thirteen Days, one which has elements of several dialects, but never settles on just one. He drops it and picks it up again throughout, kicking even more humor into the film’s central villain. His line delivery is flat out hilarious also, a real throwback to the days of B movie heaven.
Video: How’s it look?
Anaconda has been given a new 4K offering by Sony who, in my humble opinion, does the best job in the business with their catalog 4K offerings. The 2.39:1 HEVC 4K image has certainly benefitted from this new scan with most of the grain and debris the plagued earlier releases now a thing of the past. Yes, there’s awful CGI with our snake friend, but that’s more a fault of the technology of the time rather than how this appears. Black levels seem more more consistent and shallow with an improved contrast that gives the film more of a theatrical look. In short, this one was worth the wait as it’s never looked better.
Audio: How’s it sound?
This film came out at the right time in that it saw a then new-to-the-format release on DVD. A few years later it was followed by one of Sony’s Superbit releases. And so on. This title has even bounced around to Mill Creek where it had, as of 2024, a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Clearly something had to change. For the first time ever this film has finally gotten a proper Dolby Atmos mix and it’s been worth the wait. Some of the effects and ambiance I’d taken for granted sound so deliciously good here. It really heightens the mood of the movie. Vocals are top notch with the LFE getting involved as well. There’s a depth and dimension to this movie that I’d not thought possible. It’s a worthwhile upgrade.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- There’s a Devil Inside Everyone: Directing Anaconda – A New Interview with Director Luis Llosa – The title pretty much says it all. Llosa tells some anecdotes from the set, the genesis of the movie and so forth. It’s nice to see new features being produced, but this one’s a bit shallow. Then again, so was the movie. Of note, while this is the same interview that appeared on Mill Creek’s disc, this one is a few minutes longer. Odd.
- Interview with Co-Writer Hans Bauer – A new segment finds us sitting down with one of the writers of this film (yes, there was thought put into the plot) as he discusses the film and its cult status.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes – There are about 12 minutes worth found here, oddly presented in 1.85:1 (the movie itself is 2.39:1) but nothing mind-blowing was omitted.
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
Looking back, this is much better than it should have been. Sporting a decent cast that has early appearances by Ice Cube, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez this has actually withstood the test of time. Schlock tends to do that. And, after, ump-teen releases on home video I have to say that this one finally checks all the boxes with a new 4K transfer, a Dolby Atmos mix and even some new supplements. If you’re looking for the definitive version of this movie – look no further.
