Members of a
pharmaceutical company venture into the jungles of Borneo in order to
find the blood orchid, a flower that may hold the secret to eternal
life, only to discover that they have stumbled upon mating season for
the dreaded anacondas. Starring Morris Chestnut,
Johnny Messner, and KaDee Strickland, among others. Directed by Dwight
Little.
CRITIQUE
Anacondas: The
Hunt for the Blood Orchid (or, “That Damn Monkey” as friends and I
noted throughout watching the film) is the sort of film that, if you
try and think your way through it, your head starts to hurt. The
script is terrible, forcing the actors to spout terrible one-liners
based around popular television catch phrases as well as some of the
most clichéd survival film dialogue ever. The cast, in their attempt
to take the script seriously, adds a layer of fun to the film, making
it the perfect film to make fun of. This film is one of those, “it’s
so bad it’s good” kind of films, especially since it is the sequel to
a mediocre B-movie that never asked for a sequel.
What makes this
film work is that the director chooses to go for subtlety and attempts
to make the film somewhat creepy rather than try for the cheap “jump”
scares that occur more often in films of this type. While the
anacondas are still silly looking, they just add into the overall
over-the-top nature of the film.
Is the film any
good? No. But is it entertaining? Yes, and for all the wrong reasons.
THE VIDEO
The film is both
presented in fullscreen (1.33:1) and widescreen (2.40:1). The
widescreen presentation is beautiful and the fullscreen presentation
is good. The transfers for both look wonderful, colors are vibrant
and the black levels are consistent throughout.
THE AUDIO
The audio is
presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and works wonderfully. The ambient
jungle noise is really good and the dialogue is never lost under the
sound effects and music.
THE EXTRAS
Deleted Scenes:
Four deleted scenes, none of which bring anything new to the film.
Although, one of the scenes does reveal that the Captain of the boat
does know that there are giant snakes in the area.
Special Effects
Toolbox - Creating Anacondas: A decent look at the special effects
in Anacondas. Why this instead of a making of? I’m not sure.
But it is a nice look at the creation of the snakes.
FINAL THOUGHT
The DVD is okay,
but almost barebones. It’s a silly little film, good for those who
love really bad film.
