Anaconda (2025) — A Meta, Comedic Jungle Adventure With a Giant Snake Twist.
In a year crowded with mainstream sequels and reboots, Anaconda (2025) arrived in theaters as a distinct take on a cult franchise — not simply another straight horror remake, but a meta-comedy adventure that plays with viewers’ expectations while delivering both laughs and creature-feature thrills. Directed by Tom Gormican, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Kevin Etten, this sixth installment in the Anaconda film series twists the familiar premise into something self-aware, bizarre, and often surprisingly heartfelt.
Cast — How Many and Who’s in the Movie.
Anaconda (2025) casts a strong ensemble combining comedy stars, veteran actors, and international talent. The total credited cast with significant speaking or story roles is about 10-12 performers, with a few smaller roles rounding out the jungle ensemble.
Main Cast
- Jack Black as Doug McCallister — a wedding videographer and one of the group’s impulsive filmmakers.
- Paul Rudd as Ronald “Griff” Griffin Jr. — a struggling background TV actor and Doug’s best friend.
- Steve Zahn as Kenny Trent — another childhood friend, adding comic relief and grounded perspective.
- Thandiwe Newton as Claire Simons — part of the core group, often providing emotional balance.
- Daniela Melchior as Ana Almeida — a mysterious woman they meet in the jungle.
- Selton Mello as Carlos Santiago Braga — a snake handler whose expertise quickly becomes vital.
Supporting and Cameo Appearances
- Ice Cube appears as himself — a fun cameo nod to the franchise’s roots.
- Ione Skye as Malie McCallister — Doug’s wife.
- Ben Lawson, Rui Ricardo Diaz, John Billingsley, Dan Silveira all have smaller roles in the jungle story.
There’s even an uncredited cameo by Jennifer Lopez — linking this film back to the original Anaconda from 1997.
Who Is the “Means” (Main) Character?
While Anaconda has a true ensemble feel, the film’s narrative is primarily anchored by Doug McCallister (Jack Black) and Ronald “Griff” Griffin Jr. (Paul Rudd). If one character earns the most screen focus and emotional arc, it’s Doug:
- Doug McCallister is the emotional core — the one whose perspective we follow most closely. His midlife crisis and longing to make a meaningful, personal movie drive the plot’s setup. His choices — especially in how he deals with the giant anaconda, his friends, and the chaos of the jungle — define the film’s balance of laughter, risk, and heart.
Griff is the comedic and emotional counterpart — equally central to the story’s evolution and the deeply meta dynamic of friends chasing a childhood dream while confronting unexpected danger. Together, Doug and Griff form the heart of the film’s comedy-adventure engine.
Box Office (“Box Collection”) — How the Movie Performed.
Commercially, Anaconda performed respectably for a mid-budget meta sequel:
- Worldwide Gross: ~$132 million globally.
- This includes about $63.8 million in the United States and Canada, and roughly $67.6 million in other territories.
The film premiered on December 25, 2025, and debuted in the midst of a crowded holiday slate, including big-budget competitors like Avatar: Fire and Ash, yet still managed to attract audiences with its comedy and star names.
Relative to its production budget of about $45 million, crossing the $100 million+ global milestone signifies a solid box-office success, especially for a franchise entry that is neither a blockbuster action film nor a family animation.
The Niche — Who This Movie Is For.
Anaconda occupies a distinct niche within the 2025 theatrical landscape:
Meta-Comedy Fans
Unlike the original Anaconda films that played creature horror straight, this version leans into self-aware, satirical humor — often poking fun at Hollywood, film fandom, and genre tropes. It’s a movie for audiences who enjoy smart-aleck comedies with a genre twist.
Fans of Ensemble Comedies
Jack Black and Paul Rudd’s comic chemistry — supported by Steve Zahn and Thandiwe Newton — is a major draw. Viewers who enjoy character-based laughs and buddy dynamics will find plenty to appreciate.
Creature Feature Lovers with a Twist
While the anaconda itself doesn’t dominate screen time in a pure horror sense, the movie still features monster-movie thrills blended with humor. That makes it appealing to genre fans who like their scares mixed with laughs.
Fans of Hollywood & Nostalgia
The film plays with nostalgia — as the characters attempt to remake a cult classic — making it especially appealing to those who grew up with the original Anaconda or who enjoy pop-culture riffs and B-movie appreciation.
Overall, Anaconda fits squarely in the action-adventure comedy horror niche: a genre mash-up that doesn’t take itself too seriously but offers enough chaos and charm to entertain mixed audiences.
Deep Dive — Story, Themes, Style, and Execution.
Plot Overview (No Major Spoilers)
Anaconda (2025) begins with a group of middle-aged friends who feel dissatisfied with their current lives — struggling careers, fading dreams, and a longing for youthful adventure. Among them are Doug McCallister, the wedding videographer, and his lifelong pal Griff Griffin Jr., a background actor barely scraping by in TV. When Griff claims to have obtained the rights to remake their favorite movie — the 1997 cult classic Anaconda — the group takes a leap of faith and travels to the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil to make their own film.
Along for the ride are their childhood friends Kenny and Claire, plus Ana — a mysterious woman they meet on the river — and Carlos, a local snake handler. What starts as a chaotic, low-budget passion project soon takes a deadly turn when Griff accidentally kills the snake they planned to use — forcing him and Carlos deep into the jungle to find a replacement. Instead they encounter a real, gigantic anaconda that terrorizes the crew, blending absurd comedy with genuine thrills.
The narrative juggles multiple layers: the friends’ personal drama and midlife crises, the chaotic filmmaking process, Hollywood satire (including an actual Sony film crew they encounter), and the survival horror of being hunted by a colossal snake. The characters are pushed to their limits both emotionally and physically as they struggle to make their movie — and survive.
Along the way, betrayals, misunderstandings, jaw-dropping jungle action and bizarre alliances shape their journey. The film blends tones — from goofy slapstick to moments of tension — often intentionally playing with the conventions of horror and buddy comedy.
Themes and Tone.
While at first glance Anaconda may seem like a tongue-in-cheek riff on 90s creature features, it carries several thematic undercurrents:
Midlife Reinvention
The characters’ decision to remount a beloved childhood movie reflects a desire to reclaim lost dreams — a cinematic metaphor for rediscovering purpose. The movie uses this thread to explore what it means to break free from routine and take risks.
Art, Friendship, and Failure
Their quest to make a movie becomes a vehicle for examining creativity, collaboration, and the chaos behind filmmaking — both in a meta sense and in the literal story. The friendships are tested, strengthened, and redefined through comedy and crisis alike.
Genre Play and Hollywood Satire
The film is deeply self-aware, gently ribbing Hollywood, fan culture, and genre fandom — effectively lampooning remake mania while acknowledging its emotional pull.
Survival and Absurdity
The jungle setting and monstrous snake function as classic genre elements, but here they underscore how ordinary people react to extraordinary danger — often with comedic absurdity.
Style, Direction & Humor.
Tom Gormican — known for blending action and comedy — embraces a playful tone here, using sharp dialogue and physical comedy balanced with creature-feature set-pieces. The Amazon jungle is portrayed with vibrant visuals that contrast the friends’ chaotic filmmaking with the serious threats of real danger.
The comedy often stems from character interactions, absurd situations, and contrasts between Hollywood fantasy and real-world peril, with Black and Rudd’s chemistry at the forefront. Critics and audiences alike noted the film’s tone as deliberately irreverent, poking fun at the franchise’s legacy and at filmmaking itself.
Reception — Critics vs. Audiences.
Critically, Anaconda received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the critics score sat around 48%, indicating a divided consensus — many reviewers praised the concept and cast but saw tonal inconsistency.
By contrast, audiences responded more warmly: plenty of viewers enjoyed the meta humor and chemistry of the leads, with viewers giving it solid audience scores on various forums.
Some criticism focused on tonal imbalance — where the comedy and horror elements didn’t always mesh smoothly — but many fans found the film entertaining and fun, especially when judged on its own playful terms rather than as a straight horror sequel.
Final Thoughts
Anaconda (2025) is not your standard creature feature; it’s a self-aware, laugh-infused jungle adventure that updates a cult franchise for modern audiences. With a charismatic cast led by Jack Black and Paul Rudd, the film blends comedy, action, and meta satire to explore themes of friendship, passion, and rediscovered purpose.
Its box office success — comfortably surpassing its production cost and reaching audiences worldwide — demonstrates that there’s still life in beloved IP when approached with creativity and charm rather than pure nostalgia.
Whether you’re drawn by the humor, the action, or the jungle chaos, Anaconda offers an entertaining journey that both honors and playfully upends its heritage.
