Sequel to the 1997 actioner ‘Anaconda’. A pharmaceutical company sends a group of horticulturalists on a scientific expedition to Borneo in search of a rare flower – the Blood Orchid – that can reputedly bestow immortality. But the group are alarmed to discover that the precious plant is being guarded by a terrifying population of bloodthirsty anacondas, who have been imbibing the orchid’s restorative properties for years – making them faster and stronger than ever.
Starring: Morris Chestnut, KaDee Strickland, Eugene Byrd, Johnny Messner, Matthew Marsden
Directed by: Dwight H. Little
Runtime: 97 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Amazon USAmazon UKIMDBReview: Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid
I’m not drawn to bad horror films but they tend to be drawn to me. I seem to have avoided chronology with the anaconda series having seen the first one years ago and last year the third one came along, the only notable thing about that one being it had the Hoff in it but nothing else. So, here we are with the second in this appalling series. The question was would Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid distance itself from its poor cousins and actually be good?
The premise to the film is pretty straightforward. A group of researchers set off for a jungle in Borneo, Indonesia to look for the blood orchid, a rare flower said to be have medicinal benefits such as longevity which does sound handy. Of course, the jungle is filled with bloodthirsty anacondas which I don’t believe are native to Indonesia but we’ll just have to overlook that in this case! Can the researchers carefully sidestep the anacondas and recover the blood orchid or does an unpleasant death await them all?
Our group of researchers come across as intelligent people but really that’s a clever mask. They find a local guide Bill Johnson (Johnny Messner) who is reluctant to take them into the jungle arguing it is dangerous. A generous bribe from Jack Byron (Matthew Madsen) is enough to change Bill’s mind but things don’t turn out well. Their boat goes over a waterfall and is lost and soon enough our first anaconda strikes and kills one of the doctors, Ben Douglas (Nicholas Gonzalez). Bill responds that he’s never seen such a big snake and now it’s eaten it won’t want anything for a good few weeks. Well, that’s handy then! Stranded in the jungle, Bill tries to get the gang to his friend John Livingston (Any Anderson) who comes a cropper thanks to the anacondas and carelessly gets himself killed and blows up his boat in the process! You couldn’t write it could you!
There isn’t really anything to this film. It’s what it says on the tin. A group of snake fodder trying to find a flower in the jungle. The acting isn’t great once again and the snakes, though made up of bad effects, have more personality than their meals. As usual there is someone in the group who has slightly unhinged and willing to risk everyone’s life in the process. So much for everyone getting along nicely and being friends at work! This is no better or worse than the third instalment, in fact it’s probably worse because at least with Anaconda III I could see just how many hoops the Hoff would jump through for his next pay check. In case you were wondering, it’s many!
Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid is a woeful follow-up to the silly original with J-Lo and Jon Voight. A bunch of uninteresting characters looking for a flower and getting eaten by some snakes that are somewhat maladjusted on the wrong side of the world. It’s not an idea for a book I’ll be pursuing any time soon.
Verdict: 1/5
(Film source: reviewer’s own copy)
Film Review: Anacondas: The Hunt for the Red Orchid | Thank you for reading Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave
