
I saw the original Anaconda at a 4$ a movie deal. I think it must've been the second movie out of the three we watched that day and it was still the worst. Seeing the other two were Matilda and Jingle all the way, that's saying something.
But, since I'm on a bad moves kick and my DVD club had the sequel, I decided it would be a good choice.
Hell, as long as Coolio ain't in it, it can't be too bad. I hope.
Here we go.
"Screen Gems presents." Screen Gems?! Yah.
Junglescape and music. Amazon-type Indians hunting tiger. So you're expecting me to believe that in Borneo you'll find Aras, some type of Howler Monkey and Anacondas all together. Seriously?
Anyway....
After a chase, one of the natives ends up Conda chow.
Cut to Bright Lights, Big City and as if we wouldn't recognise the Manhattan skyline - even WTC-less - they neatly gives us a title card *eyeroll*
Blah Blah pharmaceuticals cakes; the Blood Orchid is apparantly the equivalent of the fountain of youth. Many $$ involved and a very small timeframe in which to gather up the stinkweed.
Our soon-to-be-devoured team head off to Borneo.
The British guy's accent sounds fake. Let's IMDB....nope, it's me. Or maybe he's hamming it up.
Hellooooo nurse! Co-captain Tran is hot! Weee, eye-candy!
And Weee! some more because Captain Johnson is played by the ever-hot Johnny Messner. Happy now!
Anyway, the boat they rented for 50k is a heap of crap which they all bitch about even though they have two totally hot guys to ogle so they should just shut the fuck up.
Blathering ensues, bitching ensues, and boredom ensues. Get on with the movie already.
Hey, the captain's monkey - and how dirty does that sound? - acts exactly like my cat. Hell, that monkey just out-acted every human in this thing.
Bitchy manages to fall in the water due to re-enacting the "can you hear me now" commercial but alas, she does not get eaten by the attacking croc which is wrestled into submission and death by Captain Tarzan Hotpants. The dead croc gets quickly devoured by 'something big'.
You know, it's nice when teh pretty can distract me from the utter ennui of the storyline and the triteness of the characters and their pseudo-romantics.
We want more Giant Killer Snakes! *waves protest board*
In another Tarzan scene, there is 'waterfall' peril but they still go over the edge and the boat goes kablooey. Also, they should all be dead.
Hee, stranded in the middle of the Bornean jungle and they decide to hike so they can meet up with one of Captain Tarzan Hotpants' friends, who turns out to be untrustable in the 2.5 seconds he's on screen before he dies.
Ah yes, wading through swampy disease-ridden, mosquito-riddled swampland is such a brilliant idea. Not counting the leeches and urethra-swimming bugs.
Monkey-vision shows us the Big Giant Snake swimming amongst the oblivious waders in a fairly cool scene. BTW, the monkey is still the better actor.
Everyone gets tense when one of the guys has a freakout about things moving in the water, but hey dude, you're wading to jungle swampland, what do you expect? Another guy hums the Jaws tune which Hee! But the fact he then gets eaten is the really funny part.
Anyway, they leg it to dry land and proceed to freak the fuck out.
Yet, since scientists are apparantly idiotic money-hoarders - and for once the corporate exec is the fairly nice one - lead science guy decides to continue the expedition. Captain Hotstuff vetoes this decision.
After a nice shout-out to the first movie (continuity yay!) we finally get the leeches I've been expecting since the first toe-dip in the swamp.
And hell! Captain Hotpants is
strong! *Swoon* Woo! Captain Hotpants/Cole slashiness!
But ew leeches and creepy spiders.
In the mean time, shady boat guy gets eaten ass-first; the boat careens into some rocks and explodes.
More freaking ensues.
Also, I didn't win the lottery just now so I'm pissed now. That'll teach me to fantasize about private Hawaiian beaches and owning the copyright to Supernatural. Sigh.
Anyway, movie.
They search the boat leftovers but find nothing. They then decide to head to an ex-headhunter village where they hope to ask for help.
While hacking through the jungle, the poorly digested body of Shady Boat Guy falls out of the trees and Captain Hotpants emotes his pretty green eyes out.
Headhunter Village: many skeletons hanging about and a dead Anaconda with some guy's legs sticking out of its belly. Hee! The village is deserted for the rest and there are no boats. So, they decide to build a boat with the wood lying around. Does this mean there will be shirtless sweaty Captain Hotstuff? Yay!
Scientist Guy discovers that the snakes get so big because they eat the orchids. I guess not even Anacondas can stomach an all-protein diet.
More blathering ensues between Crazy Scientist Guy, who is still eager to look for the flower, and the rest of the team. For once, the sane people win.
Captain Hotpants indeed gets bare-chested and the next scene or two are drowned away by the buckets of drool. I love this movie.
Crazy Scientist was apparantly hiding a satellite phone all along, which is discovered by Corp Guy who immidiatly gets treated to a coma-inducing spider-bite and free lunch with a Giant Killer Snake before he can warn the others. Crazy Scientist then nicks the boat and calls someone to say everyone except he is dead.
More freaking out happens back in the village until they decide to go find the raft by taking another hike through the dangerous jungle. Sigh.
Cole gets separated from the group and blows his top over a bunch of skeletons. I like him, he panics about everything. It's fairly realistic; I bet I'd handle this situation the same way.
Unfortunately, while rescuing Cole, Co-captain Tran gets eaten. And what a fucking waste of prettiness that is.
The snake attacks again but gets beheaded by Blonde Chick, which is fairly nifty.
The snake had family though because its great-aunt attacks and drags Cole along. Captain Hotpants to the rescue when they find Cole being slowly crushed to death. Captain Hotpants kills the snake with a knife the size of a nail file and seems mightily worried about three-quarters dead Cole until the goddamn chicks show up and give mouth-to-mouth. Sigh.
Cole lives; for how lone, one wonders. But ooooh, we get some nice hand-cheek cradling action from Captain Hotstuff and my slashy world is right again. I'm so easy.
Back to, who gives a fuck about Crazy Scientist Guy? who is still looking for the stinkweed. Of course, seeing the only carbs the snakes are getting is in the form of the flower, I doubt they'll be willing to just hand it over.
Our team finally catches up and decides to head for the raft but Crazy Scientist stops them while shooting Captain Hotpants. You die now!
OK, so it's only a flesh wound but still woe to you if you screwed up one of his tattoos.
Crazy Scientist then ties up Cole who, let's be fair, poses no threat at all. He like weighs 100 pounds soaking wet.
Anyway, to -finally- get to the flower, Crazy Scientist forces Blonde Chick to crawl over a rickety bridge which is suspended above a pool filled with mating Giant Killer Anacondas.
Captain Hotstuff then decides to kick Crazy Scientist's ass but fails. Instead coma-inducing spider does its thing which makes Paralysed Crazy Scientist plummet into the Pool-O-Pleasure where after a bit, he gets munched.
Blonde Chick gets rescued and the monkey still out acts everyone.
They drench the snakes with gasoline; shoot a flare in one of the attacking snake’s beak and the Pool-O-Pleasure a-splodes into a giant fireball of DOOM, destroying orchids right along with it.
So, basically, 5 people lost their lives for no reason whatsoever.
To my utter shock and surprise 4 people actually survive and I like most of them.
Yay!
Conclusion
It's not often that a sequel 'outshines' the original movie but here it manages it.
OK, so the adding of a lot of pretty helps, but still.
I liked this well enough and the director was wise enough to not really show the entire snakes in broad daylight, which was a big mistake in the first movie as it painfully showcased the atrocious CGI.
Also, the lack of Jon Voight, Jon Voight's leer and J-Lo helps.
Anyway, it's a fairly entertaining popcorn flick. Not the worst I ever saw and nothing to go out of your way for but pick it up when you're bored and there's nothing on TV.
For the Boys: Nothing except for some sweaty cleavage
For the Girls: Captain Hotpants and Co-captain Tran
For the Slashers: There is the obvious Captain Hotstuff/Tran option but I much prefer the Captain Hotstuff/Cole one what with the leech removal, the snake rescue and the face-cradling thing.