Anaconda

It's only fitting that I kick this off with my favorite survivor movie of all time: Anaconda. Anaconda is a fun, campy and underrated creature feature that has everything I enjoy in a good adventure. I love the colorful cast of characters and the believable plot (a hard thing to come by in monster movies). I love the mix of scares where sometimes it looks someone's about to die - but then they don't. I love the Amazon setting and the fact that they actually filmed it on location! I'm always a fan of animatronics over crappy CGI when it comes to bringing the monsters to life. Anaconda does a mix of both with varying believabilities, but overrall it's not too bad. And of course, Anaconda wouldn't even contend as my favorite movie if the elite band of characters weren't picked off...one by one.

Synopsis: A documentary film crew ventures into the world's most isolated jungle - the Amazon - in search of a lost and forgotten civilization. Early in their journey they come to the aid of a stranded Paraguayan guide, Paul Sarone, who joins their expedition. But Sarone is actually a poacher on the trail of a legendary snake. Sarone hijacks the boat and steers the crew right into the path of a deadly anaconda.

Cast:

Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez) is the documentary film's producer and director. It's her job to lead the production.


Dr. Steven Cale (Eric Stoltz) is the expert on the mysterious Shiri Shama Amazonian tribe; the subject of the documentary. He's hired to locate the tribe.



Mateo (Vincent Castellanos) is the scruffy boat captain. He and Paul Sarone aren't exactly strangers. It's a bit more than a coincidence that the crew and Sarone cross paths.


Warren Westeridge (Jonathan Hyde) is an actor. He's hired to narrate and be the on-camera personality for the documentary. He's a bit British and doesn't like roughing it in the jungle.


Danny Rich (Ice Cube) is the camera man. He's a city boy and good friends with Terri.



Gary Dixon (Owen Wilson) is the sound engineer. He'd rather film the documentary on Sarone capturing a giant snake.





Denise Kalberg (Kari Wuhrer) is the production manager. It's her job to basically just look hot in the jungle. Gary is her boyfriend.


Paul Sarone (Jon Voight) is the snake poacher who stumbles upon the film crew when they save his life. He's after a very large anaconda and a large paycheck to go with it. He convinces the film crew to help him hunt the snake. The only problem for them is that he wants the snake alive.


Movie Scene:

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First victim? Cale. Although he doesn't die, he's the first taken out of the adventure when he swallows a poisonous wasp.

Second victim: Mateo. When part of the group ventures back from a crash site after looking for fuel, he lags behind and gets picked off by the anaconda.

Third victim: Gary. While Sarone goes anaconda fishing, Gary finds himself in the water and then in the belly of the giant snake shortly afterwards.

Fourth victim: Denise. Upset over Gary's death, Denise tries to kill Sarone for bringing the snake. Sarone is one step ahead and strangles her to death.

Fifth victim: Westeridge. He runs away from the anaconda up some rocks. The anaconda follows and catches him before he can escape.

Sixth victim: Sarone. The biggest snake of the movie gets his due after his final plan to catch the anaconda backfires. He winds up regurgitated snake food.

Survivors: Terri, Danny and Cale.