![]() ![]() And a final wink in one gross out scene brings down the house and will have everyone reacting in either humor, disgust, or fright. His squinty leer is a scene stealer, and he revels in knowing that he's hamming it up. Jon Voight, on the other hand, chews up the scenery more than the snake does on its victims. ![]() Jennifer Lopez is wasted in her role and is most often seen glistening in sweat in a skin tight tank top and she will probably wish this film wasn't on her resume. Most of the actors inhabit "throw away" characters that have no real personality and could easily have been played by anyone. Of course a slow-moving snake makes for poor drama and almost no suspense so a speedy snake makes for a more interesting movie. Perhaps the fact that they make the snake move at unrealistically fast speeds hindered creating realism as we would expect it. The effects are surprisingly bad, especially in this day of realistic, jaw dropping special effects. ![]() As in most "B" movies the "monster," or in this case the snake, usually looks fake (in either its computer graphics or animatronics form), and as said above would have been more effective had we seen less of it. The snake is fun to watch, especially when it's racing along after people and then coiling them up, but greater suspense occurs when you know that the snake's there, but can't see it. While today's computer graphics are indeed impressive, they can't compare to the human imagination and this movie proves that point. Thus, as great directors of the past learned long ago, "less is sometimes more," and allowing the audience to fill in the "blanks" themselves is more effective than showing everything. What made "Jaws" such a classic - and actually was a fluke caused by technical problems - was that we rarely saw the shark (because Spielberg could never get "Bruce" the mechanical shark to work). Borrowing liberally from these films, this one puts the standard varied ethnic cast in harm's way so that one by one they can be picked off by the "beast." By the end you know there will only be a few of them left who then must do whatever they can to kill the monster/creature. OUR TAKE: 4 out of 10 This is a somewhat enjoyable film that's a "B" movie variation of what one would get if the movies "Jaws," "Apocalypse Now," and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" were mixed together. The REST OF THE CAST is rather two-dimensional and other than for some drinking and smoking, are neutral role models, unless you consider their "movie cliche" stupidity where they wade through the water after they've seen what the snake can do (in which case they're not good role models).JON VOIGHT plays a great snake hunter who puts other people's lives at stake in order to pursue the snake and his profit.WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense adventure violence, and for brief language and sensuality. If, however, they like "monster" films or "fun" horror/thriller movies, they'll definitely be drawn to this one. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they don't like snakes, it's very doubtful. From that point on, the crew must do whatever they can to avoid the deadly snake. But none of them ever expect that the snake will turn the tables and turn the hunters into the hunted. Sarone is hunting for a giant anaconda, a snake that will bring him great worth. After they pick up a stranded snake hunter, Paul Sarone (JON VOIGHT), however, things begin to go downhill for them. Transported upstream by a local river boat captain, Mateo (VINCENT CASTELLANOS), the film crew, consisting of producer Terri Flores (JENNIFER LOPEZ), pompous narrator Warren Westridge (JONATHAN HYDE), cameraman Danny (ICE CUBE), sound-man Gary (OWEN WILSON), and production assistant Denise Kalber (KARI SALIN), prepare themselves for anything. Steven Cale (ERIC STOLTZ) to document a primitive Amazon tribe that he has discovered. QUICK TAKE: Suspense/Horror: An anaconda stalks a documentary film crew as they make their way through the Amazon. ![]()
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