A group of friends going through a mid-life crisis decide to remake a favorite movie from their youth but encounter unexpected events when they enter the jungle. A film by Tom Gormican, starring Paul Rudd, Jack Black, Steve Zahn, Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior, Selton Mello, Ione Skye, Rui Ricardo Diaz, John Billingsley, Jennifer Lopez, and Ice Cube.

Deep in the Amazon Rainforest, Ana Almeida (Daniela Melchior) plans to reach her destination by boat, as the location is inaccessible by car. She estimates the journey will take just a few days. Visibly nervous, Paolo (Diego Arnary) tries to talk Ana out of it, warning that they shouldn’t be there because the jungle doesn’t want them. Ana insists they have to continue, claiming that what awaits them will change their lives forever. Frustrated by Paolo’s hesitation, she leaves the vehicle to proceed alone.

Meanwhile, Joao (Rui Ricardo Diaz) and his partner (Matt Aristizabal) have been trailing Ana. When she escapes on a motorbike, they sprint to their inflatable motorboat.But just as they step onto the vessel, an anaconda strikes from beneath, knocking Joao’s partner overboard. He struggles as the snake coils around him and drags him into the depths.

This scene makes absolutely no sense. Ana and Paolo just parked their jeep in the jungle, but somehow Ana has a motorbike waiting near the river? She literally just said they need a boat to reach their destination. And why are Joao and his partner following her by boat when she’s on land? Shouldn’t they be using a car or motorbikes?

Doug McCallister (Jack Black) is a frustrated filmmaker who gave up on his dreams to work in his father’s wedding video business. Although Jerry (John Billingsley) knows this wasn’t Doug’s childhood ambition, he plans to retire soon and expects his son to take the reins. Doug finds himself torn between his desire to be a director and the responsibility he feels for the staff and his own family.

On the evening of Doug’s birthday, his wife Malie (Ione Skye) and son Charlie (Sebastian Sero) throw him a surprise party. Doug is shocked to see his childhood friends: Kenny (Steve Zahn), Claire (Thandiwe Newton), and Griff (Paul Rudd), a struggling background actor. Griff brings a special gift. It’s a VHS tape of THE QUATCH, a film they made together when they were 13. Doug assumed all copies had been lost, but Griff found this one stuck inside an old Sony TV/VCR combo in his mom’s garage.

The next day, the four of them meet at a local diner to catch up. They talk about their favorite movie, Anaconda, which came out after their senior year of college. Griff recalls they must have seen it at least 30 times. They even reenact dialogue from the movie, and everyone agrees it became a classic. Griff surprises everyone when he reveals that he has the rights to Anaconda, explaining that the movie was actually based on a novel by some dead Japanese author. His agent introduced him to the author’s widow, and she was such a fan of the four episodes Griff did on the S.W.A.T. series that she gave him the rights. Griff proposes they reboot Anaconda indie-style: three weeks of run-and-gun in the Amazon with a skeletal crew. He convinces Kenny and Claire but fails to convince Doug, who’s supposed to be the director. Without Doug on board, the whole plan falls apart.

At home, Malie encourages Doug to make the movie with his friends, knowing that filmmaking has always been his dream. Doug dismisses the idea, insisting he won’t chase some childhood Hollywood fantasy that will waste money and time. Nothing’s going to change anyway. That night, while editing a wedding video to match the clients’ vision, he finally realizes he needs to make a real movie. Doug drives to Griff’s place and tells him he’s in. They’re rebooting Anaconda.

The group flies to Brazil to begin production. They meet their snake handler, Carlos Santiago (Selton Mello), whom Kenny hired sight unseen over the phone. Santiago explains that his land was ruined by gold miners dumping mercury into the river, but he managed to rescue a starving giant snake, which he named Heitor.

Meanwhile, Ana is still hiding out in a nearby bar to evade Joao and his partner, Timo (Dan Silveira). Desperate for a boat, she spots the keys to the Benedita sitting next to its owner, who is passed out drunk. She swipes the keys and heads for the dock, only to find Doug and the group waiting by the vessel.

Thinking fast, Ana claims to be the owner’s daughter. She tells them her father is in the hospital and she has to cancel their trip to take the boat upriver for maintenance. The group refuses to leave, begging her to reconsider since every other boat is booked and their movie depends on this. Spotting Joao and Timo closing in, Ana makes a split-second decision and lets them all board.

During a crucial close-up, Griff accidentally knocks Heitor overboard. The snake falls into the river and is instantly shredded by the boat’s propeller. With their star dead, the production grinds to a halt. After a makeshift funeral for Heitor, Santiago tells Griff he can find a new snake tonight, but he demands that Griff help him catch it. Terrified but feeling responsible for Heitor’s death, Griff reluctantly agrees.

Under the cover of darkness, the pair enters the jungle but soon gets separated. A wild anaconda strikes, snatching Santiago and dragging him into the shadows. Panicked and alone, Griff flees back to the boat. When Santiago fails to return, the group grows worried. They decide to search for him, venturing into the jungle despite having absolutely no experience tracking people or navigating the dark terrain.

They stumble upon an abandoned van but are suddenly attacked by an anaconda. Scrambling into the vehicle to escape, they are pursued by Joao’s bikers, who start shooting. Ana explains that these men are illegal gold miners who patrol the area and kill trespassers on sight. She grabs a rifle found in the van and fires back. Realizing he can use this chaos for his film, Doug tells Kenny to record everything. He is so captivated by Ana’s intensity that he creates a role for her in the script.

Directed by Tom Gormican from a screenplay he cowrote with Kevin Etten, ANACONDA is an action-adventure comedy about four childhood friends facing mid-life crises. Determined to finally pursue their filmmaking dreams, they set out to remake their favorite movie: the 1997 cult classic, Anaconda.

On paper, this narrative should work. The premise is hilarious and nostalgic, and the cast features some of my favorites: Jack Black, Paul Rudd, Thandiwe Newton, and Steve Zahn. Sadly, the execution falls short. It’s filled with cringe-worthy dialogue and backstories that exist solely to explain the characters’ absurd choices, which only makes the movie feel longer than it needs to be.

There are a few truly entertaining moments, like the scene at the bank where they try to get a loan, or when a character is being chased by the snake and reveals that the pig tied to his back is somehow still alive.

ANACONDA premiered at The United Theater in Los Angeles on 13 December 2025. The film was theatrically released in the United States on 25 December and in the United Kingdom on 26 December.