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Anaconda Film

 
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Anaconda
Cover for the DVD-box containing the first four films.
Created by
Original workAnaconda
Print publications
Novel(s)Anaconda: The Writer's Cut (2014)
Films and television
Film(s)
  • Anaconda (1997)
  • Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)
  • Anaconda 3: Offspring (2008)
  • Anacondas: Trail of Blood (2009)
  • Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015)
Games
Video game(s)
  • Quake Anaconda Mod (1997)
  • Anacondas Arcade Game (2004)
  • Anacondas 3D: Adventure Game (2004)
  • Snakes on a Babe (2008)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)
  • Anaconda (1997)
  • Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)

48 rows  Anaconda (also known as Anacondas) is a series of American horror films created. A “National Geographic” film crew is taken hostage by an insane hunter, who takes them along on his quest to capture the world’s largest – and deadliest – snake.

Anaconda (also known as Anacondas) is a series of Americanhorror films created by Hans Bauer, Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. Produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, the series began with Anaconda (1997) directed by Luis Llosa, and was followed by one theatrical standalone sequel, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004) directed by Dwight H. Little, and three television sequels, Anaconda 3: Offspring (2008), Anacondas: Trail of Blood (2009), both directed by Don E. FauntLeRoy, and Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015) directed by A. B. Stone and being a crossover with the Lake Placid series. Each installment revolves around giant man-eatinganacondas and the efforts of various groups of people to capture or destroy the creatures. The fictional plant known as the Blood Orchid and the company Wexel Hall Pharmaceuticals as well as the fictitious Murdoch family are repeatedly referenced in the films.

  • 1Films
  • 4Reception
  • 5Publications
  • 6Video games

Films[edit]

Anaconda (1997)[edit]

When a documentary crew traveling through the Amazon jungle picks up a stranded man, they are unaware of the trouble that will occur. This stranger's hobby is to capture the giant Anaconda snake, and plans to continue targeting it on their boat, by any means necessary.

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)[edit]

A scientific expedition sets out for Borneo to seek a flower called the Blood Orchid, which could grant longer life. Meanwhile, they run afoul of snakes and each other.

Anaconda 3: Offspring (2008)[edit]

A team of mercenaries join forces with a herpetologist and an assistant from the billionaire owner who both worked in a genetic research lab, Wexel Hall, to capture the snakes after they escaped from the lab, until they find themselves needing to stop them before it's too late.

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Anaconda Film

Anacondas: Trail of Blood (2009)[edit]

A herpetologist is on a mission to destroy the Blood Orchid from the billionaire who wanted a serum of the orchid to cure his cancer, until a dangerous snake threatens everyone.

Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015)[edit]

In Black Lake, Maine, an accident allows the two giant species, crocodiles and anacondas had been regenerated and escape towards to Clear Lake. Now, Reba teams up with Tully to find his daughter Bethany and a group of sorority girls in a deadly match between the two creatures.

Cast and characters[edit]

CharacterFilms
AnacondaAnacondas:
The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
Anaconda 3:
Offspring
Anacondas:
Trail of Blood
Lake Placid vs.
Anaconda
19972004200820092015
Terri FloresJennifer LopezMentioned only
Danny RichIce CubeMentioned only
Paul SeroneJon VoightMentioned only
Professor Steven CaleEric StoltzMentioned only
Warren WestridgeJonathan HydeMentioned only
Gary DixonOwen WilsonMentioned only
Denise KalbergKari WuhrerMentioned only
MateoVincent Castellanos
PoacherDanny Trejo
Bill JohnsonJohnny Messner
Sam RogersKaDee Strickland
Dr. Jack BryonMatthew Marsden
Cole BurrisEugene Byrd
Gail SternSalli Richardson-Whitfield
Tran WuKarl Yune
Gordon MitchellMorris Chestnut
Dr. Ben DouglasNicholas Gonzalez
John LivingstonAndy Anderson
Stephen HammettDavid Hasselhoff
Dr. Amanda HayesCrystal Allen
Peter 'J.D.' MurdochJohn Rhys-DaviesMentioned only
PinkusRyan McCluskey
NickPatrick Regis
AndreiAlin Olteanu
GroznyAnthony GreenFlashback
VictorToma DanilăFlashback
SofiaMilhaela OrosFlashback
Professor Eric KaneSerban CeleaFlashback
DarrylAlin ConstantinescuFlashback
Peter ReysnerZoltan Butuc
JacksonLinden Ashby
ScottDanny Midwinter
AlexCălin Stanciu
HeatherAna Ularu
WendyAnca-Ioana Androne
EugeneEmil Hostina
Will 'Tully' TullCorin Nemec
RebaYancy Butler
Jim BickermanRobert Englund
Bethany TullSkye Lourie
Sarah MurdochAnnabel Wright
BeachStephen Billington
TiffaniLaura Dale
MargoAli Eagle
Deputy FergusonOliver Walker

Crew[edit]

RoleFilm
AnacondaAnacondas:
The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
Anaconda 3:
Offspring
Anacondas:
Trail of Blood
Lake Placid vs. Anaconda
19972004200820092015
DirectorLuis LlosaDwight H. LittleDon E. FauntLeRoyA. B. Stone
Writer(s)Hans Bauer
Jim Cash
Jack Epps Jr.
Screenplay by
John Claflin
Daniel Zelman
Michael Miner
Edward Neumeier
Story by
Hans Bauer
Jim Cash
Jack Epps Jr.
Nicholas Davidoff
David Olson
David OlsonScreenplay by
Berkeley Anderson
Producer(s)Verna Harrah
Carol Little
Leonard Rabinowitz
Verna HarrahAlison SemenzaJeffery Beach
Phillip Roth
ComposerRandy EdelmanNerida Tyson-ChewPeter MeisnerClaude Foisy
CinematographerBill ButlerStephen F. WindonDon E. FlauntLeRoyIvo Peitchev
EditorMichael R. Miller
Gregg London
Marcus D'Arcy
Mark Warner
Scott ConradCameron Hallenbeck
Production companiesMiddle Fork ProductionsHollywood Media Bridge
Stage 6 Films
UFO International
Destination Films
DistributorColumbia PicturesScreen GemsSony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release dateApril 11, 1997August 27, 2004July 26, 2008February 28, 2009April 25, 2015
Running time89 minutes97 minutes91 minutes89 minutes92 minutes

Reception[edit]

Box office performance[edit]

FilmRelease dateBox office grossBudget
North AmericaOther
territories
Worldwide
AnacondaApril 11, 1997$65,885,767[1]$71,000,000[1]$136,885,767[1]$45 million[2]
Anacondas:
The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
August 27, 2004$32,238,923[3]$38,753,975[3]$70,992,898[3]$25 million[2]
Total$98,124,690$109,753,975$207,878,669$70 million

Critical response[edit]

FilmRotten TomatoesMetacriticCinemaScore
Anaconda40% (50 reviews)[4]37 (20 reviews)[5]B−[6]
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid25% (118 reviews)[7]40 (28 reviews)[8]B[9]

Publications[edit]

Anaconda: The Writer's Cut (2014)[edit]

Anaconda: The Writer's Cut is a novel by Hans Bauer published in 2014. Bauer also wrote the screenplay for the 1997 film Anaconda and its 2004 sequel Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid.[10]

Video games[edit]

Quake Anaconda Mod (1997)[edit]

Promoting the original film's release, Sony released a free total conversion mod for Quake Mission Pack No. 1: Scourge of Armagon which featured new snake enemies and a large Anaconda boss character.[11][12]

Anacondas Arcade Game (2004)[edit]

Anacondas Arcade Game is an online interactive game produced by Sony Studios in 2004 to promote the film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid from the same year.[13]

Anacondas 3D: Adventure Game (2004)[edit]

Anacondas 3D: Adventure Game is an online interactive game produced by Sony Studios in 2004 to promote the film Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid from the same year.[14][15]

Snakes on a Babe (2008)[edit]

Snakes on a Babe is an online interactive game produced in 2008 to promote the film Anaconda 3: Offspring from the same year.[16][17]

References[edit]

  1. ^ abc'Anaconda'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  2. ^ ab'Box Office History for Anaconda Movies'. The Numbers. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  3. ^ abc'Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  4. ^'Anaconda (1997)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  5. ^'Anaconda'. Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  6. ^'CinemaScore'. cinemascore.com.
  7. ^'Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004)'. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  8. ^'Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid'. Metacritic. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  9. ^'CinemaScore'. cinemascore.com.
  10. ^'Anaconda: The Writer's Cut - Kindle edition by Hans Bauer. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com'. amazon.com.
  11. ^https://www.bluesnews.com/archives/march97-5.html
  12. ^https://www.quaddicted.com/reviews/anaconda.html
  13. ^http://www.freeaddictinggames.com/game/anacondas/
  14. ^http://www.gamepressure.com/download.asp?ID=6000
  15. ^http://anacondas-3d-adventure-game.software.informer.com
  16. ^'Anaconda 3 – The Offspring Presents: Snakes on a Babe'. Beyond Hollywood. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2015-05-12.
  17. ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2011-02-08. Retrieved 2016-02-21.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anaconda_(film_series)&oldid=898046617'

“Buenos noches, beautiful.” —Jon Voight, Anaconda

Cult movies generally imply some active engagement on the part of the viewer. These are films that are often unsuccessful or misunderstood, and thus need to be sought out and championed, passed around a network of like-minded friends or revived for the midnight/repertory circuit. This is how commercial catastrophes like Donnie Darko or Pootie Tang get a second life, and it affirms the cheering notion that great (or at least singular) movies will find an appreciative audience someday, even if it’s many years down the road. Such are the thoughts to which cinephiles cling when they confidently declare that the crippled little orphan they’ve adopted will one day be worshipped as a towering Adonis.

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Anaconda is not that kind of movie. It was modestly successful at the box office. It is utterly conventional and often merely perfunctory, even by the standards of second-rate Jaws rip-offs. It has inspired one theatrical and two direct-to-DVD sequels to date. It does not need to be sought out; it’s on cable television, probably right now or perhaps later on tonight. Nothing will keep the world’s most passive, glazed-over channel-flipper from getting the chance to see Anaconda. Yet it appears in New Cult Canon for two related reasons: It has the power to freeze even the twitchiest of thumbs, much as the film’s 40-foot-long jungle snake coils around its victims before devouring them whole. And the source of that power, beyond the mesmerizingly terrible CGI effects, is Jon Voight, whose performance as a Paraguayan snake hunter named Paul Sarone is bigger and more deadly than any predator known to man.

When Anaconda arrived to me via DVD for this column, I was initially dismayed to find that it was a 1:33-to-1 copy, effectively ruining the fine 2:35-to-1 location photography by ace cinematographer Bill Butler (The Conversation), whose Miller Time twilight shots of the Amazon are the film’s one genuine aesthetic triumph. But then, I reconsidered: This was the way I (and many others) had always watched Anaconda, and the only thing truly disconcerting about it was the missing 30 minutes of commercials to pad out its 89-minute running time to the full 120. Jean-Luc Godard once famously opined that CinemaScope was only good for “filming snakes and funerals,” but in the case of this particular snake, less is almost certainly more.

Anaconda begins with an unnecessary bit of salesmanship in the form of an opening crawl stating, “Anacondas are among the most ferocious—and enormous—creatures on earth, growing, in certain cases, as long as 40 feet.” (A stretch. Twenty feet is usually the max.) They’re also “not satisfied after eating a victim” and “will regurgitate their prey in order to kill and eat again.” (False.) The purpose seems to be convincing the audience that Anaconda will be scarier than Jaws, Alligator, and Piranha combined—and, indeed, can swallow all of their respective creatures alive and regurgitate them for a pleasure-kill—and setting the stage for one hell of a payoff down the line. Such is the film’s M.O.: It finds the crudest possible way to get information across and reserves its energy for the big showdowns between man and beast and man and Voight.

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The human snake-bait, heading downriver on a barge to shoot a documentary on the mysterious, elusive “people of the mist,” breaks down into something close to Gilligan’s Island’s fearless crew. There’s their egghead leader Dr. Steven Cale (Eric Stoltz), The Professor, an expert in indigenous tribes, and his Mary Ann, Terri (Jennifer Lopez), the intelligent-but-sexy director of the documentary. The Movie Star, also sexy but less substantive, is Denise (Kari Wuhrer), the assistant sound person, who’s around mostly as romantic companion to sound guy Gary (Owen Wilson). Trouble is, Gary is Gilligan and he’s ultimately more interested in The Skipper, here represented by Voight’s Sarone, who imagines himself a great leader of men, but is in fact a total buffoon. That leaves The Millionaire, taking the form of effete, golf-and-classical-music-loving British host Warren Westridge (Jonathan Hyde), and His Wife (who doesn’t exist). And Ice Cube as the L.A. native who’s there to shoot the documentary and blow more holes in my iron-clad Gilligan’s Island analogy.

The simple premise has the crew rescuing the stranded Sarone from a powerful rainstorm and later relying on his expertise after a giant poisonous wasp—some might call it the anaconda of poisonous wasps—fells Dr. Cale. As the rest of the mostly urban crew scrambles to figure out how to get Cale to a hospital, Sarone takes control, urging them against travelling two days upriver and instead continuing to head downriver, where he can find them a doctor. It turns out, of course, that Sarone makes big money as a snake poacher and wants to recruit them, unwittingly, into a scheme to trap a 40-foot anaconda that could be worth $1 million. Gilligan is on board with that plan, of course, even after it almost certainly devours their local ship captain. Here, Sarone lays out the adversary they face. Literally:

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“Don’t make me out a monster. I didn’t eat the captain, Mateo.” It’s hard to discern the precise origins of Voight’s accent in Anaconda, but it’s not in the Southern Hemisphere, much less in the vicinity of Paraguay. At times, he sounds like Al Pacino’s Cuban gangster in Scarface, full of delicious, dialect-mangling bluster; elsewhere, he sounds vaguely like a native Italian struggling with English as a second language. No matter, though, because Voight’s Sarone is by far the most compelling element of Anaconda, a charismatic ham who dominates every scene as if he were Emil Jannings or Charles Laughton or Orson Welles. The rest of the cast can only quiver before him, even Ice Cube, who tries to carry over his hip-hop braggadocio so self-consciously that the first lines out of his mouth are “Today’s a good day.”

Anaconda 1997 Film

Performances as large as Voight’s tend to be brushed off as “bad,” usually by the same people who wrongly turn up their nose at late-period Pacino performances, but his screen presence more than compensates for his obvious lack of authenticity. Though I haven’t seen the Anaconda sequels, I can imagine they’re as brutally dull as any scene here without Voight, who may be responsible for the film’s Razzie nominations and MST3K-style zinging, but plays his B-movie villain to the hilt. Nothing Voight does here is small: His man of action can spear a fish in one sharp jab, blow up obstacles with dynamite he happens to have on hand, and approach an anaconda hunt (with dead-monkey bait) as if he were a beer-swilling yellowfin tuna fisherman. His Sarone is sly, too, snuffing out what has to be the least convincing fake-seduction ever attempted. (Keep in mind, this scene happens after the ship’s captain and Gilligan have been eaten by the snake, after the snake has contemptuously spit the bait-monkey in The Millionaire’s face, and after The Skipper has commandeered the barge by force.)

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Anaconda Film Cast

Less defensible—in fact, gloriously indefensible—is the snake itself, a CGI marvel in the early days of CGI, created just a year after Twister wowed audiences with fake-looking tornadoes. Unlike Jaws, which famously withheld and teased out its mechanical monster, Anaconda trots out its big special effect as readily as a Paz de la Huerta striptease. And with the grace of a snake that can do things that a real anaconda could never do in a million years, it coils up in too-perfect concentric circles, crushing human bones into cocaine powder and catching a waterfall-jumper like a can of corn. Whether the laughs that follow are intended or not—the .gif below suggests mostly the former—Anaconda keeps them coming.

Coming Up:
December 1: Diggstown
December 22: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover
January 12: Dazed And Confused

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