Anaconda (M) – 99 minutes

Extreme. Far-fetched. Silly. Hell, yeah. After all, you are talking about a Jack Black movie. But Anaconda is also funny and surprisingly involving.

It draws inspiration from the 1997 film of the same name involving a quest to capture the world’s largest and deadliest snake.

Among the stars of that one were Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voigt and Eric Stoltz.

In Anaconda 2025, Doug McCallister (Jack Black), who dreamt of a movie making career and loves horror films, is stuck shooting and editing wedding videos.

Happily married to Malie (Ione Skye), with a child, his wife throws him a surprise birthday party.

It is attended by his best bud from back in the day, Ronald Griffin Jr. (Paul Rudd), whose own career as an actor has gone nowhere.

Griffin presents McCallister with the best gift a man could ask for, a long-lost VHS copy of a creature feature the pair shot when McCallister was only 13.

Griffin then announces that he has obtained the rights to revisit Anaconda and proposes a trip to the Amazon Jungle involving those involved in the school film.

That includes McCallister, who is reluctant to leave his safe job, Claire Simons (Thandiwe Newton) and Kenny Trent (Steve Zahn).

With the others on board, McCallister finally throws caution to the wind and joins the grand adventure.

They link up with a passionate snake handler, Santiago Braga (Selton Mello), who has trained a giant anaconda.

Steering the boat that will take them to the heart of the jungle is a young woman, Ana Almeida (Daniela Melchior), trying to escape from a mercenary posse chasing her.

Just why she is in that position becomes a subplot in Anaconda and, indeed, in the movie that McCallister, Griffin and co are making.

Suffice to say, everyone gets a lot more than they bargaining for as the shoot careers off the rails.

Friendships will be tested and not everyone will emerge alive as a mighty anaconda runs (slithers) riot.

Part of the joy in the picture comes from the passionate portrayal of Jack Black in the lead.

It is nothing less than I expected, but he throws himself into the role with reckless abandon.

Paul Rudd is earnest and hopeful as the project initiator, Ronald Griffin Jr., who may have taken poetic liberty with the truth.

Claire Simons, who used to date Griffin, is coming to terms with a failed relationship, so has nothing to lose. Thandiwe Newton is up for the challenges of co-star in the low budget Anaconda remake that this motley crew is trying to make.

Cinematographer Kenny Trent, who had a falling out with Doug McCallister, is still dealing with an unhealthy reliance on alcohol and drugs. That gives Steve Zahn the licence to act up.

Selton Mello brings an exaggerated devotion to his “pet snake” to his role as the snake whisperer.

Daniela Melchior adds an element of intrigue to Ana Almeida.

Plot twists give the story unexpected bite.

In short, the cast and crew (the film is co-written and directed by Tom Gormican) bring heaps of stupid fun to a movie that retains a beating heart throughout.

So it is that I wanted the flawed lightweight amateurs depicted to succeed in their quest to reboot Anaconda.

And watch out for a couple of surprise cameos.

Rated M, Anaconda scores a 6½ out of 10.