We’re living in a world of reboots and legacy sequels — which isn’t likely to change with 2026’s movie releases — but at least with Jack Black and Paul Rudd’s latest adventure, we can expect a remake that’s wildly different from the original. Anaconda centers around buddies who set out to film an amateur version of the 1997 cult classic, only to happen upon their own serpentine killer. Critics have seen the movie, and they mostly agree it’s not as much fun as it thinks it is.
Along with Paul Rudd and Jack Black, the upcoming action movie stars Steve Zahn and Thandiwe Newton, and adding to the meta-ness of it all, Ice Cube makes his return. Moviegoers’ first reactions praised it for its comedy and surprising amount of heart, but Matt Donato of IGN is definitely not a fan, giving the movie a “Bad” 4 out of 10 for making a mockery out of the beloved, perfectly cheesy 1997 original. For such an outside-the-box concept, Anaconda reads generic, with potty humor, overplayed needledrops and Tropic Thunder-esque pyrotechnics. Donato says:
