Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		2.0

Anaconda Blu-ray Movie Review

Mill Creek has released a new Blu-ray SteelBook version of the 1997 film 'Anaconda,' directed by Luis Llosa and starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz, Jonathan Hyde, and Owen Wilson. The single disc is not identical to Mill Creek's previous issue. This version includes a different soundtrack and a new supplement. Video appears close to the same, but I feel a few fresh words are warranted. Note that the film was also released to Blu-ray by Sony in 2009 which remains the definitive version of the film from an audio and video perspective.

Anaconda Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

This new Blu-ray release of Anaconda certainly looks very similar to the 2019 Mill Creek issue, and by-and-large the review of that release suffices here. Colors remain extraordinarily drab. Even for a movie taking place in the jungle and around murky waters with a lot of earthy colors defining much of the movie, there's very little in the way of brilliance to jungle greens or vividness to certain clothes, like Jon Voight's red t-shirt. It's a very dull and depressed palette. The 15-year-old Sony disc still outshines either of Mill Creek's efforts (man, wouldn't a new Dolby Vision UHD really do wonders for this movie!). Texturally, the image remains very flat and uninspired, offering a picture that is frankly not much more than what one would expect of an upscaled DVD. Face are smooth and even the various wooden surfaces on the boat's deck lack much nuance or character. There's not really any feel for organic grain at work, either. Compression issues run rampant, especially in lower light shots and scenes but throughout well. Watching the film again now, several years since Mill Creek's previous issue, I am inclined to give the transfer a slightly lower score, even if differences are largely negligible.

Anaconda Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Three releases, three different soundtracks. When Sony released Anaconda in 2009, it included a rock-solid Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack A decade later, Mill Creek's inaugural release featured a significant downgrade to a Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack. Now, a few years later, Mill Creek brings back lossless audio to Anaconda...but maintains the 2.0 parameters. The DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack offers a modest gain to dynamics and fidelity compared to the old version's lossy track. It's a bit more fundamentally clear and robust, but still lacking in tight, precise musical definition, for example, even if spacing is very good along the front. Heavier effects, like an explosion at the 32:15 mark, delivers OK-ish response and spacing, but overall detailing sounds muddled and stifled. Jungle and river atmosphere are present but hardly immersive. The film's audio dynamics definitely scream for a 5.1 (or Atmos!) mix to more fully immerse the listener into the experience. Dialogue is clear enough with solid front-center imaging.

Anaconda Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Much like the release of Hollow Man, this Blu-ray release of Anaconda contains a single new supplement which was not on the original Mill Creek Blu-ray, and neither was it on the original Sony disc. There's a Devil Inside Everyone: Interview with Director Luis Llosa (1080p, 16:34) features the filmmaker talking about his background with this genre, budget, visual effects, cast and performances, on-set anecdotes, visual effects and building the anaconda, and more.

The SteelBook is of a matte finish. The front panel features a familiar image of the Anaconda's eyes looking dead ahead, center, with part of its body curled around the bottom. Above is some murky, green-tinted water, and one can see the surface of the water via an uneven line at the very top. The film's title appears below the eyes in red letters, center, along with four actor names in white. The rear panel features a familiar collage photo depicting the film's three main characters played by Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, and Jon Voight, the latter two of whom appear as if floating above the water from the torso up. A gloomy sky is behind them, and bottom right is the anaconda slithering through water. The spine carries over the color scheme from the front with the murky green at the top and a black color at the bottom. The film's title appears in red, center. A photo of Jennifer Lopez's character appears at the top and a small Mill Creek logo appears at the bottom.

Inside, the lone Blu-ray disc sits on a right-hand hub. The inner print presents a two-panel spread image of the boat steaming down the river against a beautiful orange sunset. The boat is firmly on the left-hand side with environment only on the right under the disc.

Anaconda Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This new release of Anaconda has a few positive things going for it: the SteelBook is nice, the new supplement is very much appreciated, and the audio has been upgraded back to lossless, albeit still not back to the level of the original, and still the best, Sony 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The video is really quite disappointing, though. Fans will enjoy the package, but it's time for Anaconda to finally come to the UHD format rather than keep earning halfhearted Blu-ray releases.