‘Anaconda’ Returns as the 90s Classic Bites Back

As a new chapter in the Anaconda franchise prepares to slither into UK cinemas this festive season, Sony is inviting audiences to revisit the film that turned oversized serpents into multiplex stars. Nearly three decades after its release, Anaconda remains one of the defining creature features of the 1990s, a film whose reputation has only grown louder with time.

Released in 1997, Anaconda arrived during a period when high-concept thrillers and practical creature effects dominated the box office. Directed by Luis Llosa, the film paired jungle adventure with monster-movie spectacle, following a documentary crew whose academic mission down the Amazon quickly mutates into a fight for survival. Jennifer Lopez stars as director Terri Flores, leading an expedition alongside Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz and a then-early-career Owen Wilson, before Jon Voight’s memorably unhinged river hunter steers them toward disaster.

While critics at the time were divided, audiences responded enthusiastically. Anaconda opened at number one in the US and went on to gross more than $136 million worldwide, cementing its place as a commercial success and an enduring cult title. Its blend of glossy studio thrills, pulpy dialogue and pre-digital creature effects has since become shorthand for a certain brand of late-90s genre cinema, one that prized entertainment over restraint.

Today, the film is readily available to buy or rent digitally in the UK, offering a timely refresher ahead of the franchise’s latest revival. From 26 December, a new Anaconda film lands in cinemas nationwide, starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd as lifelong friends attempting to relive their youth by travelling to the Amazon to make a remake of the original. The premise leans knowingly into nostalgia, positioning the 1997 film not just as a reference point, but as a cultural touchstone ripe for reinvention.

Revisiting Anaconda now highlights why it has endured. Beyond its infamous visual effects and Voight’s operatic villain turn, the film captures a moment when studio horror-adjacent thrillers could still dominate mainstream conversation. Its jungle setting, practical set-pieces and unapologetic tone helped shape a wave of creature features that followed, even as tastes shifted toward sleeker digital spectacles.

With the new instalment arriving during the Christmas period, Sony appears keen to frame the franchise as both a nostalgic throwback and a crowd-pleasing escape. Whether audiences are discovering Anaconda for the first time or returning for another encounter with its legendary snake, the original film’s legacy looms large over what comes next.

The 1997 Anaconda is available to buy or rent on digital platforms now. The new Anaconda opens in UK cinemas from 26 December 2025.

Anaconda (1997) trailer

Anaconda (2025) trailer