Anacondas - The Hunt for the Blood Orchid

Product Description

The blood orchid - A rare flower that holds the secret of eternal life and a fortune to the pharmaceutical company that finds it. Led by a two-fisted soldier of fortune, a scientific expedition is sent deep into the jungles of Borneo to locate and bring back samples of the legendary plant. Battling their way upriver, the explorers brave poisonous insects, ferocious crocodiles and savage headhunters, unaware they're being stalked by an even greater danger: a nest of giant anacondas, voracious, fifty-foot-long flesh-eaters who'll stop at nothing to protect their breeding ground, the blood orchid's home.

System Requirements:
Running Time: 96 Min.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

So here's the deal: A bunch of sassy scientific types, who all look as though tey've spent just as much time lifting barbells as they have beakers, head out into Borneo to find some rare flower that's the "pharmaceutical equivalent to the fountain of youth"--and end up dodging the digestive system of several mutant snakes during mating season. You gotta hate when that happens. If you don't, you soon will, because this in-name-only sequel to Anaconda, 1997's now seminal guilty pleasure, is proof that more does not necessarily mean merrier. The thing isn't even good-bad; it's cheap and completely unmemorable even as popcorn fodder. Director Dwight Little and his posse of his screenwriters have neither the budget nor the imagination to come on like a rip-snorting Aliens clone--it's pretty much one snake at a time, and frankly more concerned with the conniving British baddie (Matthew Marsden) who really, really wants that orchid. The cast of no-names is destined to remain that way, although the chiseled Johnny Messner, as a rugged jungle guide, provides a few hoots in his laughably stoic attempt at Vin Diesel-dom. It's hard to determine who you'd like eaten first. --Steve Wiecking

Customer Reviews:

Banal and lifeless sequel.......2007-05-12

"Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" differs significantly from its predecessor, the 1997 film "Anaconda" starring the always luscious Jennifer Lopez. No, it has nothing to do with the fact that Lopez isn't in the sequel. Nor does it have anything to do with the significantly lower budget, no name actors, poor performances, cackhanded script, cheesy special effects, and an annoying monkey--all things that the first film largely avoided but which appear with frightening regularity in the sequel. The primary difference involves the plural use of the term "anaconda". You see, in the first film we had only one gigantic anaconda to worry about. In the sequel, we have many huge snakes to wrap our heads around. Thus the use of "anacondas" instead of "anaconda". Get it? Good. Of course, the producers of "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" obviously thought adding a few more snakes to the storyline would translate into more action onscreen. Don't be afraid. This is a common practice in Tinseltown. Law requires that any sequel must add more than the original. It doesn't matter what they're adding; they simply must add MORE. More snakes, more carnage, more nekkid women, more gore. On to the review...

"Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" has more of just about everything, but that doesn't mean I had more fun. Oddly, I had less fun watching this than the original "Anaconda". What gives? Let's summarize the plot together and see if we can find an answer. The film starts with a bunch of hokum about some huge pharmaceutical company spending billions of dollars on some research project involving some special plant called the blood orchid. In a genuinely unexciting series of events, the executives of the company explain that this flower possesses the ability to extend life significantly. They messed around with a sample in the laboratory, but the experiment destroyed the small specimen. Now they want more so they can make trillions of dollars selling this stuff to a bunch of rich people who are afraid to die. One jerk bellows that the blood orchid drug will be bigger than Viagra. Oh really? I'd hope so. Let's see: I can live to 150 or I can die at 70 with a pocket rocket. That's called a no brainer, folks. After this discussion I'm surprised no one cracked, "Is that an anaconda in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"

Anyway, the suits need the flower now and a mission must head out right away because the blood orchid only grows in Borneo and only blooms once every seven years. In other words, it's gone in less than two weeks. So a team must head out posthaste. This means Sam Rogers (KaDee Strickland), Dr. Jack Byron (Matthew Marsden), Dr. Ben Douglas (Nicholas Gonzalez), Tran (Karl Yune), Gail Stern (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), and Gordon Mitchell (Morris Chestnut) must quickly hire a boat captain named Bill Johnson (Johnny Messner) and sail up a river in Borneo to the lair of the blood orchid. A quick note: they're probably more people heading up the river than what I listed here, but I don't care. They only exist so that the movie can kill them off at regular intervals. So up the river the team goes, arguing all the time and facing one adversity after another. Poisonous spiders that can paralyze a person, bad weather in the form of the "rainy season," and intergroup tensions all spoil the scenic trip. The anacondas enter the picture when we learn that their mating activity just happens to take place near the blood orchids. Hijinks ensue. The end.

"Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" should really carry a title of, "Anacondas: The Hunt for a Good Movie". As the timer on my DVD player ticked on and on, and as my eyes slowly assumed that glazed over look I get whenever I watch b-grade schlock, I knew I was seeing something incredibly underwhelming. The movie is a forgettable, straight to DVD affair that adds absolutely nothing to the world of the animals run amok genre. You've seen this all before in countless other films. The arguing, the evil guy in the group who eventually turns on the others, the heroine, the grizzled yet fearless expedition leader, the endless monkey reaction shots--it's all here in mind numbing detail. Then we get the poorly realized CGI anacondas, big and ugly looking snakes roughly the size of storm sewers, chowing down on the hapless victims. Sigh. Remember when I wrote above that I had less fun watching the sequel, despite the producers adding MORE to their movie, than I had while watching the original? Well, here's your grand answer. I almost felt like the Richard Dreyfuss character in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" when he's building that mashed potato Devil's Tower and he intones, "This means something." Then I realized "Anacondas" doesn't mean anything at all. It's hollow at the core, a mindless b-movie larded with cliches.

Mindless movie fare, however, can be good if you feel like switching your brain off for ninety minutes. If that's the case, you could do worse than "Anacondas". If you still care about the movie after watching it, you can dip into the paltry extras included on the disc. The primary supplement is a featurette containing interviews with selected members of the cast and crew, some information on the special effects, and behind the scenes footage. Deleted scenes and previews for other Sony features round out the disc. As for picture and audio quality, both are better than passable for such a forgettable film. Good luck, my friends, and enjoy your hunt for the blood orchid. I know I didn't.

Hey, It's Not That Bad.......2006-07-22

And no, I will not follow that up with a statement like "It's much worse."

The title of my review may seem to contradict the rating I give this flick, but here's my point: this isn't a case of "I would give it zero stars if I could." Anacondas deserves the one star, nothing less. And I'd also like to point out that as bad as this movie may be, I believe that certain posters here who have mercilessly pummeled this film have exaggerated more than a little in their reasons for doing so.

Not a few make a point of the schlocky special effects. I agree that they're pretty bad, but I wouldn't describe them as abysmal. Take the scene where the boat plunges down the waterfall. That shot taken from the upper end of the boat as it goes off the edge of the falls and the occupants hang on for dear life, is actually pretty impressive. Nothing great, mind you, but not bad at all. Then there are the top shots of the snake visible under the surface of the water as the characters cross the river. Those weren't so bad either. As for the scenes of the snakes outside the water, well, some were awful, while others were actually quite passable. The snake in the original Anaconda, by comparison, was consistently bad. And if you want to see some really cheesy monster special effects of recent vintage, try Crocodile and Curse of the Komodo.

As for the acting, I agree that this cast of unknowns is likely to remain so. But I also believe that they do have careers ahead of them, mainly in the realm of B-movies and maybe occasional appearances in TV show episodes. Nothing to be thrilled about, of course, but my point is, they will have jobs. Their performances were bad, but not disastrously bad. I wouldn't place these actors anywhere near the ranks of Ed Wood's stable of regulars.

Next, the storyline. A pharmaceutical company has discovered that a rare orchid may actually prolong human life by several decades. Problem is, the orchid can only be found in the deep, dark, inhospitable jungles of Borneo (where, for the record, Anacondas are not found), and it only blossoms for a few months every seven years. Ok, so that little plot contrivance makes for a convenient urgency for the company to send a team of scientists. And sending out an entire team of scientists (who by the way look like they spend more time in the gym than in the laboratory) to look for this orchid was about as bad a plot device as you'll find. Also, you'd think that the company would set aside a decent budget to rent a helicopter instead of leaving it up to the scientists to look for and hire a local guide. Yeah, plot holes abound, and they're hard to ignore. But I've seen worse.

In sum, I would say that Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid is, at best, a brainless popcorn movie. At worst, it's an awful piece of filmmaking not to be watched. Either way, it deserves one star.

better than the first but not that great.......2006-05-18

anacondas the hunt for the blood orchid was ok. it had decent snake affects and they looked pretty real unlike in some other snake movies when they look lik plastic. there was decent acting in the movie as well. it's about a group of scientist who have discovered a flower tht can make people live longer, the blood orchid. they are assigned to borneo and find it. a couple other students come along, (byrd, gonzales) and make their way up river. johnny mesner plays the the big role in the movie as the guide who is an ex military guy and hard nosed dude. karl yune plays his friend and kinda the map guy who knos his way around. salli richardson plays the annoying scientist who complains about everything and u jst want the snake to come along and eat her. katie strickland plays the tough girl and kinda falls for messner at the end and she's the scientist. jack byron is the big gun scientist who owns his own company with morris chestnut and is the bad guy along the way. morris chestnut is his buisness partner and the guy tht gets all the blisters. nick gonzalez is the doctor and guy u dnt rely care about. eugene byrd plays the funny guy whos one of jacks students. so as they make their way through the jungle the go over a waterfall and are stranded. eventually the snakes come along and start eating the scientists. this movie was ok and is worth watching but its not the greatest, even though it was better than the first one.

Fluctuating accents, blinking snakes, and wrong locations.......2006-05-12

This movie was absolutely nothing akin to it's predecessor. First of all its set in Boreneo. I don't know if anyone noticed, but ANACONDAS DO NOT LIVE IN BORNEO!!! As if that weren't inaccurate enough, these film makers then decided to make the snakes look nothing like anacondas. The snake's heads were the shape of a rattlesnakes, and they had these huge teeth. They also made the anacondas be super fast, which is wrong. There was one scene where it was flinging a guy around like a rag doll! Anacondas squeeze their prey, not fling it to death. They mde the anacondas striped as well, when they are suposed to be spotted. SHEESH! I also was mad that this movie totally demonized the anaconda's beautiful and harmless mating ritual. They made it out to be evil, which is just wrong. As for a bad looking snake, I even saw one BLINK!! thats right, it blinked. Just how dumb are the people who put this movie together? It's obvious that nobody in the production knew squat about anacondas.
The acting in this film was terrible too. All the actors had this annoying quality about them. And did anybody notice that the blonde girl's accent changed? One minute she's got a southern twang, the next minute she doesn't. And the boat captain apparently is just there, acting like mister tough guy. This is definetely not the movie to buy. Even for people who aren't animal lovers like me, this movie will dissappoint. For snake action, I'd recomend the first one, Anaconda. So, all in all, this movie is a big fat waste of time.

There are a few cheap thrills and a fast pace that doesn't let up. .......2006-05-06

Seen this flick yesterday afternoon. The title Anacondas suggests probably a bit more than even the movie can deliver, with the first genuine snake attack (barring the opening credits) not even occurring until the forty-minute mark, and even then, it's not for another half-hour until someone from the same group is munched on by one of those slithery reptiles. There's a surprisingly bare minimum utilization of the titular creatures, though I suspect that has a lot to do with budgetary limitations.

If there's anything I expected to be a vast improvement upon the original, it'd be the visual rendering of the anacondas, but they're actually a few steps backward from the already spotty work in the original. For cost-effective purposes, virtually all the effects are CGI, and they're only a tiny bit better than what one would expect from a Sci-Fi Pictures Original. Making the snakes larger also works against the effects, making them goofier and harder to take seriously as a genuine threat.

Worse, the snakes themselves seem a lot wimpier despite those "advancements." The anacondas have been essentially mutated by the Blood Orchid, so they're understandably larger (at least twice so) than the snakes in the original and probably a lot longer as well. Unfortunately, they're also inexplicably much easier to kill this time around. One whack from a machete (used by someone who's never wielded one before in her life) is enough to hack off one of these monstrosities' heads clean off. One of the snakes even manages to explode after being set alight by gasoline and a flare. And correct me if I'm wrong, but when did anacondas actually have teeth?

The movie's various roles and characters are as stereotypical and obvious as one can expect from the genre. There's the hunky male American with his haunting past and he's got a hunky Asian sidekick/first mate. There's the "serious" black guy and the comic relief black guy, the latter of whom is probably the most obnoxious character I've seen in film all year. There's also the serious chick with "depth" and the whiny chick. In performing these roles, the cast is almost all terrible (especially Johnny Messner as the lead), the only modicum of acting talent coming from Morris Chestnut and the promising Kadee Strickland.

Even if it's never genuinely exciting or suspenseful, there are a few cheap thrills and a fast pace that doesn't let up. I suspect very undemanding and forgiving genre fans might even like it and it's to them I would even consider recommending this movie. Everyone else should first set their expectations straight.

Anaconda / Anacondas - Hunt for the Blood Orchid

Average customer rating:

Ending can be improved...
Go Snakes! Go!

Anaconda / Anacondas - Hunt for the Blood Orchid
Starring: Jennifer Lopez , Ice Cube , Jon Voight , Eric Stoltz , and Jonathan Hyde
Director: Luis Llosa , and Dwight H. Little
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00064X5LG
Release Date: 2004-12-21

Customer Reviews:

Ending can be improved..........2004-12-24

This is the most exciting movies ever! However, there is still room for improvement. The biggest flaw is the pretty much expected ending. Upon seeing the cliff with the anacondas at the bottom, people can usually guess who is going to fall in "in the end".

Go Snakes! Go!.......2004-10-08

First of all I just want to say I love these movies. I'll tell you the truth, there horribale! But there's snakes thats what makes it so good. They say they are going to have 2 of the anaconda films in one packdge. But what really disapionts me is there are only 2 disks! Witch proboly means theres not gonna be much bounus feateres on these DVDs.

Anaconda(1997) 4 stars

I really had a good time wathing this film. Jon Voight really did well. The CGI efects are kind of modorite, nothing special. And one of the greatest endings ever in a film like this. Took awhile to get started but once it picked up it never stoped. Alot of people died too. It had a lot of humor. That British guy was relly funny! Overall 4 stars

Anacondas the Hunt for the Blood Orchid(2004)

Okay, I have alot of things to say about this film. Its just about as good as the first but is it just me or the Anacondas kind of look different. And how did anacondas end up Bornio(spelling?). I thought this was scareier than the first.And the animation is better than the first. That monkey was a little anoying. Even more people die! The ending was pretty good and the movie got up to pace quick, VERY quick! Theres more than one snake too. Rock on! Overall 3 and a half stars

Both of these movies are great and very fun to watch. I will be very glad once I get this DVD. If your a snake enthusiast, like me you will deffinaly love and cherish these movies. The acting is horribale in both films But they are great!

Anacondas - The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (UMD Mini For PSP)

Average customer rating:

horrible

Anacondas - The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (UMD Mini For PSP)
Starring: Denis Arndt , Eugene Byrd , Morris Chestnut , Salli Richardson , and Peter Curtin
Director: Dwight H. Little
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

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ASIN: B0009FU10A
Release Date: 2005-07-12

Product Description

Anacondas PSP UMD Movie

Customer Reviews:

horrible.......2006-08-10

They made this same movie a few years back, with J-Lo and Ice Cube, and I figured a lesson was learned. Apparently not, b/c they released this insult of a film. Same old story; a group of witty young types head out on a trek, this time to find orchids for a pharmaceutical company. Little do they know (hah hah) they are heading straight for a den of godzilla-sized anacondas. The group goes through their rise and fall stages, with certain members turning on each other, blah blah blah. A better ending would have been to throw them all into the pit of steriod-abusing snakes and let the credits roll.

Average customer rating:

Anacondas the Hunt for the Blood Orchid

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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