ANACONDA
SYNOPSIS:
A film crew is hired by Dr. Steven Cale (Stoltz) to document a
primitive Amazon tribe that he has discovered. Transported
upstream by a local river boat captain, Mateo (Castellanos), the
film crew, consisting of producer Terri Flores (Lopez), pompous
narrator Warren Westridge (Hyde), cameraman Danny (Cube),
sound-man Gary (Wilson), and production assistant Denise Kalberg
(Wuhrer), prepare themselves for anything. After they pick up a
stranded snake hunter, Paul Sarone (Voight), however, things
begin to go downhill for them. Sarone is hunting for the giant
anaconda, a snake that will fetch a fortune. It is also the snake
at the top of the food chain in the exotic Amazon jungle, its
largest and most vicious killer. Sure enough, the hunted snake
soon becomes the hunter and Sarone’s greed - and abundant
local knowledge - defies the crew in their attempts to escape. To
survive the anaconda (and Sarone), they need the cunning of a
snake….
"Anaconda is great fun. Not since Cher found snakes
wriggling in her bed in The Witches of Eastwick, have we had our
attention surreptitiously aimed towards this deadly reptile. But
mark my words, we are talking monster snakes here, of the
striking pthalo blue variety with bright orange markings that
coils around a mere mortal, strangles or even swallows him whole.
And the special effects are stunning, as is Jon Voight’s
memorable performance as the sneering, evil adventurer, whose
obsessive calling has transgressed from the priesthood to
anaconda hunting. His characterisation is totally convincing: the
sardonic expression on his scarred face lingers and he is
wickedly menacing. This is a very well made film, with fabulous
cinematography, tension building music and exceptional sound. The
performances are all tops, with gorgeous Jennifer Lopez looking
fetching even covered with monkey blood; Ice Cube in great form;
as are the rest of the cast. The Brazilian locations are
fabulous, with lush rainforests, glorious sunsets, breathtaking
waterfalls and extremes of weather. There is a surreal quality to
the way the forest at night is lit; where leopards prowl, monkeys
swing, fireflies mate and Anacondas wait…. The incredible is
balanced with the credible, and there is enough tension and
mounting of fear to satisfy those munching on giant candy pythons
and clinging onto someone friendly. Look out for that moment that
is totally over the top - you will know it when it arrives!"
Louise Keller
"On a scale of 10, Anaconda has a million… jokes
aside, this is a funny movie. Tense but funny. And hugely
enjoyable. As Louise says, Voight is vonderful as the vild man of
the river (his subtle accent has Germanic strains) and his fellow
actors really get into the swing of things in the jungle. Even
the dead monkeys put on a top act. The snake in the title role is
mesmerising - both for its ferocity and its veracity. Seamless
effects work here deserves credit, as does the smart pacing of
the film. The scenery is gorgeous, the message is subtle and the
humour light-handed. With all the scary bits, this is an ideal
movie for a first date: you get dozens of opportunities to clinch
each other in mock fear, and then to calm down over a smoothing
drink."
Andrew L. Urban
"This is the kind of movie that critics love to hate, and
strictly speaking, this critic should be vilifying what is
essentially a B-grade monster flick featuring an over-sized snake
lurking in the Amazon. But hey, forget one's critical faculties,
and take this movie for what it is: an entertaining hoot of a
movie that doesn't set about to take itself seriously. After all,
you've got Jon Voight providing many of the laughs [intended or
otherwise] with an over-the-top performance that has to be seen
to be believed. Snarling, gritting, throwing out venomous
dialogue to gleeful perfection. Jennifer Lopez looks fantastic
and Ice Cube and Britain's Jonathan Hyde provide much of the
movie's intended humour. Add to that, some cheesy visual effects
and some spectacular cinematography (the film was shot on
location in Brazil) and one can understand why Anaconda has been
this unexpected hit. This is Jaws of the jungle stuff. No art
here, but for sheer, exploitative commercialism, this snake flick
has plenty of bite."
Paul Fischer
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JON VOIGHT INTERVIEW
MAKING OF ANACONDA
ANACONDA (M)
(US)
CAST: Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz,
Jonathan Hyde, Owen Wilson, Kari Wuhrer, Vincent Castellanos,
Danny Trejo
DIRECTOR: Luis Llosa
PRODUCER: Verna Harrah, Leonard Rabinowitz, Carole Little
SCRIPT: Hans Bauer and Jim Cash & Jack Epps Jr
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Bill Butler
EDITOR: Michael R. Miller
MUSIC: Randy Edelman
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Kirk M. Petruccelli
RUNNING TIME: 89 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Columbia TriStar
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: July 3, 1997
AUSTRALIAN VIDEO RELEASE: September 9, 1998
AUST VIDEO DISTRIBUTOR: Columbia TriStar
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