Anaconda 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		0.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Anaconda 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

"Dude, you could be the white Jordan Peele."

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 17, 2026

Louis Llosa's surprise 1997 hit Anaconda is a guilty pleasure for those of a certain age group and can still be enjoyed for its camp value, J. Lo, goofy CGI, and that one scene with the backwards waterfall. A staggering six follow-up films arrived in its wake, and now that number increases to seven with director / co-writer Tom Gormican's "spiritual sequel" of the same name. Though initially planned as a straight remake, Gormican and his writing partner Kevin Etten pitched their meta take on the 1997 original and miraculously got the green light. A self-aware comedy about making movies in the vein of Bowfinger, Be Kind Rewind, and Tropic Thunder, Anaconda is far from a rousing success but still good for a few laughs as its cast tries their best to salvage a script that feels as rushed and uneven as their own.

After an opener involving the mysterious Ana Almeida (Daniela Melchior), several pursuers, and a giant snake -- all of whom we'll meet again soon enough -- Anaconda introduces us to aspiring director and current wedding videographer Doug McCallister (Jack Black), who creates sappy video packages for dewy-eyed couples. He's stuck in a rut but soon happily reunited with childhood friends Ronald "Griff" Griffin (Paul Rudd), Kenny Trent (Steve Zahn), and Claire Simons (Thandiwe Newton) at a surprise party, where he's given the best gift ever: a copy of the low-budget movie they made as kids, which until recently was believed to be lost. Griff gives him more good news: he's somehow secured the rights to the original 1997 film Anaconda, a guilty favorite of the whole crew, and applies for a loan so they can remake it on the cheap with Griff and Claire as the leads, Kenny behind the camera, and of course Doug in the director's chair. While they're only approved for a fraction of their initial budget, it's enough for a few weeks in Brazil, a boat rental, and the services of a well-regarded snake wrangler in Carlos "Santiago" Braga (Selton Mello).

Unsurprisingly, the two worlds converge when Ana lies her way on board; she's somehow allowed to stick around, no questions asked, and those men hunting her are still in pursuit but still several days behind. Doug and company begin filming almost immediately... but when Santiago's beloved snake meets an unexpected fate, the crew must get creative if they want to bring back any good footage. So, just like the film itself, their remake now promotes badass Ana to the main character, which of course angers Griff and Claire... but once those hunters and the actual giant anaconda show up, the plots of both Anaconda and Anaconda have no choice but to adapt accordingly.

Anaconda -- the movie, not the movie-within-the-movie -- tries admirably to be clever, and I'll admit that its premise could have been really special if handled with care. It's not. Crucial parts of the story are written sloppily, it veers off course several times along the way, and it doesn't really build to a strong and satisfying conclusion. But Anaconda is worth at least a once-over, as yours truly will admit to almost crying with laughter during at least two or three scenes. Combine that with the enthusiastic performances of Black and Rudd (who play their characters almost exactly as you'd expect), a breezy running time, and more than a few great one-liners and you've got a film that's not good enough to be a classic but too funny to completely dismiss. That said, it seems like the kind of movie that will likely get better on repeat viewings and, for all I know, just mind end up outliving the original. Sony offers Anaconda on 4K (Steelbook only) or a separate Blu-ray edition; each has different A/V specs but the same slate of extras.

Anaconda 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the Blu-ray edition, available separately and reviewed here.

Unsurprisingly, Sony's 2160p/HDR10/Dolby Vision transfer of Anaconda easily advances upon its Blu-ray counterpart, bringing with it appreciated visual upgrade that will push home video audiences that much closer to a theatrical-grade presentation. Served up on a full-strength triple-layer (100GB) disc and running at a very high and supportive bit rate that regularly hovered around the 80Mbps mark, this is a very smooth and tight image that offers stronger image detail and textures, more dialed-in contrast, and better-controlled black levels that come in handy during Anaconda's handful of nighttime sequences. Its colors are actually a closer match than anticipated, because Anaconda features my favorite kind of HDR presentation: one that doesn't go overboard. Its hues are simply more precise than showy, from Earth-toned and muted colors to more vivid ones, and it refreshingly reins in more than a few scenes that I almost expected (feared?) might be cranked up to higher degrees. Those better-controlled black levels also advance upon the Blu-ray with less muddiness and a more defined image overall, as well as colors that stand out a touch stronger next to darker grays and true blacks. Disc encoding is excellent with no signs of banding, posterization, or other compression artifacts, rounding out what's essentially as perfect a presentation as this film could receive on home video.

Anaconda 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While Sony's separate Blu-ray edition surprisingly nixed Anaconda's theatrical Dolby Atmos mix in favor of a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track, this 4K Steelbook thankfully contains both options and offers a predictably perfect presentation. You can see my general thoughts on the 5.1 track at that linked review, but this Atmos track offers all that and more with a noticeably more enveloping mix in every direction, from jungle atmospherics and action scenes to the original score by David Fleming and a handful of classic rock/pop cuts along the way. The Atmos-exclusive height channels are put to good use at appropriate moments and for general overhead immersion where the music is concerned, whereas the format's object-based placement replicates more precise channel activity at key moments. Even those without full Atmos setups will be able to enjoy the automatically folded-down Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix, which unsurprisingly advances upon the respectable 5.1 track in a more modest but still appreciable way. Either way, fans can't lose here.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are offered during the film and extras below, and forced translation subtitles are also included for Spanish dialogue spoken by a few supporting characters such as Ana and those pursuing her.

Anaconda 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release ships in a Steelbook that features Griff and Doug back-to-back with a still-very-much-alive warthog below them and the titular beast lurking above, all set against a jungle backdrop. The back cover zooms out to show all four main characters and the warthog running with the anaconda in pursuit, while the interior spread is a fangs-first snake attack. It's not the most creative design around but gets the job done well enough. As with the Blu-ray, a Digital Copy is tucked inside and the extras are limited to a few lightweight promotional-style featurettes and other items.

• A Ride Into Chaos with Jack & Paul (5:18) - Various members of the supporting cast offer praise for our co-leads, who likewise share a bromance while making each other laugh during the filming process.

• Hiss-terical Outtakes & Bloopers (3:10) - This like-minded piece simply trades in those pesky interview clips for a marathon of ruined takes by the primary cast members.

• Friends in the Wild: The Cast (5:49) - All four key cast members speak briefly about their characters and how the film's plot mirrored their shared on-set experiences.

• The Snake Charmer: Tom Gormican (4:41) - The director and co-writer, along with members of the cast, speak about the film's inception which began as a straight-up remake of the 1997 original.

• Reinventing the Legend: Anaconda (4:33) - Returning cast and crew members, as well as few new ones like production designer Steven Jones-Evans, talk about Anaconda's meta take on its source material.

• Deleted & Extended Scenes (4 clips, 4:31 total) - Includes "Griff Go Apologize", "Rewriting Montage" and "Wedding Video Announcement", which are prefaced by a short director intro.

• Previews (3 clips, 7:38 total) - Trailers for Karate Kid Legends, Jumanji: The Next Level, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. So basically, the shared theme here is "lukewarm IP relaunches".

Anaconda 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tom Gormican's Anaconda is stuck somewhere between disappointing dud and minor cult classic, with its game lead performances and a handful of big belly laughs and one-liners nudging it towards the latter. But as sporadically fun and funny as it may be, there's a lingering feeling of "almost, but not quite" hanging over the production, making one wish that its separate core elements came together in a more satisfying way. That said, it might age better than expected, and Sony's 4K Steelbook offers superior A/V merits and a few light extras. Recommended to the right crowd.