This “Masterpiece” Monster Movie is Swallowing Netflix Audiences Whole
If you know me even a little bit, you’ll know I love a big, goofy monster movie. I probably rented Patricia Harrington’s Razortooth a dozen times growing up. I recently snagged Godzilla vs. Biollante during the Criterion sale. Wanna guess how many films in the ongoing dino-something versus mega-something series I’ve seen? Almost all of them. If it’s a creature feature, I’m there, whether that’s classics of the genre (check out my ode to Piranha) or the newer, bigger takes (Meg 2: The Trench, anyone?).
It’s a shame the horror genre broadly seems to be shifting away from the simple sensibilities of a giant monster mowing down folk who stumble into its domain. Those movies used to be everywhere (e.g., The Relic, Mimic, Lake Placid), though in recent years, as budgets have tightened and high-concept horror reigns supreme, we’ve seen fewer and fewer big-budget schlock fests. Luckily, a classic of the subgenre is currently streaming on Netflix, and I promise it’s so much better than you remember. Swallow your pride and revisit Anaconda on Netflix below:
Per Netflix: A documentary film crew on a boat in the Amazon picks up a mysterious stranger who dupes them into pursuing a monstrous and deadly 40-foot-long snake.
It’s the perfect time to revisit Luis Llosa’s monster fest since Tom Gormican’s remake starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd is scheduled to arrive in theaters this December. Principal photography wrapped earlier this year, so we’ll no doubt be seeing some kind of teaser or trailer soon. Anaconda deserves the remake status, and it didn’t become a 1990s cult classic for nothing. Sure, it’s schlocky and some of the acting is iffy (Jon Voight…), but it’s regularly entertaining, and despite the PG-13 rating, super nasty. I’m still haunted by the impression of Owen Wilson’s face in the titular snake’s stomach.
And those snakes are the stuff of legend. Real, practical baddies that with tactile terror. The animatronic work is legendary, and as clear a case as any for filmmakers and studios—despite financial constraints—to return to the effects that augmented so many of the last century’s best movies. Seriously, watching Anaconda for no reason other than to appreciate the majesty of the animatronic snakes is itself a valuable use of time.
Go ahead and check out what fans have had to say about Anaconda almost 30 years later below:
What do you think? Any plans to check out Anaconda on Netflix? Let me know if you’re as big a fan as I am over on Twitter @Chadiscollins. Hey, and why not revisit the sequel while you’re at it? Rumor has it, I love it just as much.
Categorized: News
