Is Anaconda 2025 Worth Watching? Honest Movie Review & Final Verdict
| Title | Anaconda (2025) |
| Release Date | December 25, 2025 |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Horror |
| Runtime | 99 minutes |
| Director | Tom Gormican |
| Streaming | Netflix |
| Our Rating | 🟡 6/10 |
Quick Answer: Anaconda (2025) is not a flop, it made around $135 million against a $45 million budget and topped Netflix's charts after landing on the service. Critics were lukewarm at 48%, but audiences liked it a lot more, 75-79% on Rotten Tomatoes. Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez both show up in cameos, playing themselves rather than reprising their original 1997 roles.
6/10
Quick verdict: Worth a watch
A dumb-on-purpose meta comedy that critics found messy and audiences mostly just enjoyed. Jack Black, Paul Rudd, and a surprise Ice Cube cameo carry it further than the script does.
Pros
- ✔ Jack Black and Paul Rudd have fantastic chemistry
- ✔ Clever meta concept
- ✔ Ice Cube cameo steals the show
- ✔ Fast-paced runtime
Cons
- ✘ Not scary enough
- ✘ Weak script
- ✘ Uneven comedy
- ✘ Some jokes don't land
Cast and crew
Tom Gormican directs and co-wrote the script with Kevin Etten. Gormican previously made The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and it shows, the film leans hard into stars playing exaggerated versions of showbiz anxiety. Sony Pictures distributes.
| Writers | Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten |
| Composer | David Fleming |
| Studio | Columbia Pictures, Fully Formed Entertainment |
| Content rating detail | PG-13, with crude language some guides say pushes toward R-rated territory |
| Budget vs. box office | $45 million budget, around $135 million worldwide gross |
Cast: Jack Black as Doug McCallister, Paul Rudd as Ronald "Griff" Griffin Jr., Steve Zahn as Kenny Trent, Thandiwe Newton as Claire Simons, and Daniela Melchior as Ana Almeida. Selton Mello and Ione Skye round out the main cast, with Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez both making cameo appearances as themselves.
YouTube Trailer:
Story (spoiler-free)
Best friends
since childhood, Doug and Griff always wanted to remake their beloved movie,
the ‘cinematic classic' Anaconda. They finally make the leap, after a midlife
crisis, with a small crew from the Amazon for a shoot of their own. Then one
day a real giant anaconda appear and their passion project of low budget turns
into a survival game.
It's a meta-setup from the get-go, the characters know that they're creating a shlocky '90s creature feature and the film capitalizes on that irony as the actual threats escalate.
What works and what doesn't
What Works
- Black, Rudd, and Zahn have real chemistry, several critics said the cast carries scenes the script doesn't earn.
- The Ice Cube cameo, including an improvised selfie scene, is a genuine highlight critics and audiences both singled out.
- The meta concept, a movie about people remaking a bad movie, gives it a personality the straight-faced original never had.
What Doesn't Work
- Critics repeatedly flagged the tone as unfocused, not scary enough to work as horror, not sharp enough to fully work as comedy.
- The Hollywood Reporter called the finished film toothless, saying it needed more bite for a movie built around a giant snake.
- A few reviewers pointed out that its satire of Hollywood remakes doesn't go anywhere deeper than the joke itself.
Scorecard
| Story and plot | 🟠 5/10 |
| Comedy and humor | 🟡 7/10 |
| Cast chemistry | 🟢 8/10 |
| Horror and thrills | 🟠 5/10 |
| Family appeal | 🟠 4/10 |
| Rewatch value | 🟡 6/10 |
Rotten Tomatoes settled at 48% from critics on 75-plus reviews, against a 75-79% audience score depending on when you check. That's one of the widest critic-audience gaps of any major release this season.
Why do audiences like it so much more than critics?
This is a bigger split than most films see, roughly 27 to 31 points between the Tomatometer and the Popcornmeter, and it runs entirely in the audience's favor.
Critics focused on
- Inconsistent tone between horror and comedy
- A satire that doesn't push its own premise very far
- Plotting several reviewers called loose or messy
Audiences focused on
- Jack Black and Paul Rudd being genuinely funny together
- The novelty of the meta concept itself
- The Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez cameos
Critics graded it as a horror-comedy that doesn't fully commit to either half. Audiences mostly went in for a silly buddy comedy with a giant snake in it, and that's what they got.
Is Ice Cube in the new Anaconda?
Yes, and this one is a clarification, after all, it's one of the most asked queries regarding this movie. Ice Cube is back in the 2025 remake as a cameo, but he's no longer Danny Rich. He plays himself.
During the
climax of the movie, Ice Cube makes a cameo in the movie to inform the viewers
that Sony was also filming an official Anaconda remake right next door and he
rescues Doug and Griff from danger. But later Steve Zahn confirmed that the
selfie moment between the characters was improvised on set and Ice Cube was not
a part of it. Jennifer Lopez also has a cameo appearance as herself at the end
of the movie, when she comes to watch Doug's amateur footage.
Why is everyone talking about Anaconda (2025)?
It's not the snake. What it does is it completely redeems the Anaconda movie genre.
Rather than
being a straight remake, director Tom Gormican takes a self-aware turn, as each
of the characters are in the process of remaking Anaconda themselves when they
stumble upon a real one. Standing on that premise and with some surprise guest
appearances from Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez playing nothing but their own
fame, it has been one of the most talked about creature movies to come out this
year on Netflix.
My take
The majority of the jokes that get to the screen are not this witty. Two guys remaking their favourite bad movie and bumping into an actual monster is a good idea for a horror-comedy, and Black and Rudd sell it as well as anyone could. The difficulty is that the script doesn't actually determine what level of fear it wishes to invoke in you, so the anaconda isn't really threatening you, it's just a tool.
The cameos make
for the top 10 minutes of the film. They're surrounded by a pretty tasty batch
of jokes and have two pretty likable leads, just that much.
Should you stream it tonight?
Watch it tonight if you want
- ✅ A fun comedy
- ✅ Jack Black
- ✅ Giant creature movies
Skip it if you're expecting
- ❌ Serious horror
- ❌ Real suspense
- ❌ A faithful remake
Is Anaconda 2025 a hit or a flop?
A hit. It made around $135 million worldwide against a $45 million budget, close to three times its cost back, and after landing on Netflix in March 2026 it hit number one on the platform's US movie charts, beating out titles like The Bad Guys 2 and Minions: The Rise of Gru that week. The mixed critic reception didn't stop it from performing well with the people actually buying tickets and streaming it.
How does it compare to the original Anaconda?
| Film | Our Rating | Critics | Audience |
| Anaconda (1997) | 🟠 4/10 | 40% | 24% |
| Anaconda (2025) | 🟡 6/10 | 48% | 75-79% |
The 2025 version beats the original on both counts, and by a wide margin with audiences specifically. The 1997 film became a cult favorite despite poor scores across the board, this one is doing the opposite, outperforming its predecessor with critics while genuinely winning audiences over rather than getting adopted ironically years later.
Biggest differences from the original
- A serious survival-thriller premise becomes a self-aware comedy
- Far more celebrity-driven jokes and meta humor about Hollywood itself
- Less horror and tension than the original aimed for
- A visibly bigger budget and noticeably stronger visual effects
- Cameos that directly connect back to the 1997 cast, rather than a clean break
Similar titles to watch next
- Anaconda (1997) - the original cult classic this one is riffing on.
- The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent - director Tom Gormican's previous film, similar meta, self-aware sense of humor about celebrity.
- Cocaine Bear - a comparable tone if you want more killer-animal horror-comedy.
Did you know?
- Ice Cube plays himself in his cameo, not Danny Rich, his character from the 1997 original.
- Jennifer Lopez also appears as herself, in a scene shot separately in November 2025, months after the main shoot wrapped.
- Despite being set in the Amazon, the entire film was shot in Queensland, Australia, mainly around the Gold Coast, Springbrook National Park, and Village Roadshow Studios.
- Director Tom Gormican previously made The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, another meta comedy built around a star playing an exaggerated version of himself.
Is it suitable for kids?
It's rated PG-13, but reviewers who cover content specifically for parents flag it as sitting near the edge of that rating. Plugged In singles out heavy crude language that pushes into R-rated territory, along with several onscreen deaths from the anaconda itself. This isn't a family movie despite the PG-13 label, it plays closer to an adult comedy with horror elements.
Where to watch it
Anaconda (2025) is streaming on Netflix, where it debuted in early 2026 and quickly climbed to the top of the platform's US movie charts. It's also available to rent or buy digitally through Fandango and other major platforms if you don't have a Netflix subscription.
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I also wrote a guest post on move related article here
FAQ
Is Anaconda 2025 a flop?
No. It grossed around $135 million against a $45 million budget, and it topped Netflix's charts after its streaming release.
Is the 2025 Anaconda a good movie?
Depends who you ask. Critics were lukewarm at 48% on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences rated it much higher, 75-79%. It's a movie that plays better if you go in for a fun cast and a silly premise rather than expecting a tightly plotted horror film.
What is Anaconda 2025's release date?
It opened in US theaters on December 25, 2025, with early preview screenings from December 13. It started streaming on Netflix in March 2026.
Why isn't Ice Cube in the new Anaconda?
He actually is. Ice Cube, who starred in the 1997 original, makes a cameo in the 2025 film playing himself rather than reprising his original character.
Is Anaconda (2025) funny?
Audiences mostly think so, that's a big part of why the audience score sits so far above the critic score. Even critics who disliked the film generally credited Jack Black and Paul Rudd's chemistry for the laughs that do land.
Is Anaconda (2025) a remake?
Not officially, and the studio was specific about this. Rotten Tomatoes' own synopsis states it's not a reboot, it's an original comedy inspired by the 1997 film rather than a direct retelling of it.
Does Jennifer Lopez return?
Yes, briefly. She appears as herself in the film's final scene, not reprising her original character.
Is there an end-credit scene?
Yes, two. A mid-credits scene shows what happened to the characters and confirms Ice Cube's original 1997 character survived, and a second scene features Jennifer Lopez's cameo.
Will there be Anaconda 2?
Nothing's officially confirmed. The ending sets up the possibility, Jennifer Lopez's character offers Doug a future directing job, but as of now that's a tease, not an announced sequel.
Final verdict
How we rate
- 🟢 8-10/10 - Must watch
- 🟡 6-7/10 - Worth a watch
- 🟠 4-5/10 - Average, only for fans
- 🔴 0-3/10 - Skip it
Anaconda (2025) is a financial hit and an audience favorite riding on a genuinely funny cast and a clever meta concept, even while critics found the tone inconsistent and the plotting loose. It beats the 1997 original on every measurable score, and the Ice Cube and Jennifer Lopez cameos deliver on the nostalgia the whole project is built around.
6/10
Final verdict: Worth a watch
Not a great movie by critical standards, but a genuinely fun one. Go in for the cast and the cameos, not for scares.
Bottom line
If you enjoy Jack Black, Paul Rudd, and creature-feature comedies that don't take themselves seriously, Anaconda (2025) is an entertaining weekend watch. It isn't the horror reboot many expected, but its self-aware humor and nostalgic cameos make it more enjoyable than its critic scores suggest.
Final Recommendation: 🟡 Worth Watching, especially for fans of comedy-horror and the original Anaconda.
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