Anaconda Blu Ray Review (Mill Creek Entertainment)
Anaconda is a 1997 horror film directed by Luis Llosa (Sniper, Fire on the Amazon, The Specialist, & Crime Zone). It was followed by 2004’s Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, 2008’s Anaconda 3: Offspring, 2009’s Anacondas: Trail of Blood, & 2015’s Lake Placid vs. Anaconda. A remake is currently being developed. It was written by Hans Bauer (Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, Komodo, The Flock, & Highwaymen), Jim Cash (Turner & Hooch, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, Dick Tracy, & Top Gun), & Jack Epps Jr. (Pigs vs. Freaks, The Secret of My Success, The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, & Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid). Gillian Anderson, Julianna Margulies, & Jean Reno were all original choices when it was in development. The budget was $45 million & it grossed $136.8 million worldwide at the box office!!!!
Anaconda is a true horror movie for me, I am terrified of snakes! So this one actually gives me the creeps. At the time, the visual fx were top notch but now they are outdated but you can still appreciate them for what they are considering what they had to work with on this back in the day. The script was decent & they knew what kind of feature they were making when they wrote it. It really takes advantage of the locations here. Jennifer Lopez is great eye candy & she’s a solid lead in this. Jon Voight is beyond over the top here as the villain. It’s definitely not even close to being one of his best performances but it’s honestly one of my favorite roles from him. He’s a scumbag in Anaconda & he uses everyone for his own advantages. It has lots of familiar faces with this talented supporting cast which includes Danny Trejo, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, Kari Wuhrer, Owen Wilson, & Jonathan Hyde. Yes, this movie is a little silly at times & makes fun of itself but it’s very entertaining. It’s a fun horror flick from the killer animal sub-genre. It hasn’t aged that great but it still has some good replay value to it. It’s a perfect film to have friends over for. You can turn this into a drinking game or just riff on it as it plays. Anaconda never took itself serious but it keeps your attention the whole time. Turn off your brain & just enjoy it for what it is!!!!
Let’s talk about how the high definition presentation from Mill Creek! Anaconda has been released on home video & blu ray several times now, it’s the same older master that was used on the previous Mill Creek releases. This 1080p (2.40:1) transfer is a step down from the older Sony disc but it’s still decent & it’s definitely an upgrade when compared to the DVD. All the locations really shine here. The older visual fx are kinda exposed here & they haven’t aged well since it’s original release. The English: Dolby Digital 2.0 track is solid but it’s another step down when compared to the Sony blu ray release from years ago. The dialogue is very clean, all the chaos with the snake has a nice boost to them, & the music is elevated. There’s no extras on the disc but then again the original didn’t have any either so it’s not missing anything. The Sony disc is better but it’s much more expensive compared to this newer Mill Creek release so personally I don’t think it’s worth it for this movie unless you are a real huge fan of it. This one is honestly good enough & the price is great on it. It also comes with a DVD copy of the release. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
