In the 1990s 2 separate film series began,Lake Placidabout a 30ft killer crocodile terrorizing a lake, andAnaconda, a film where J-Lo and Ice Cube face down an oversized Anaconda in the jungle. Both spawned numerous sequels and began a fascination with oversized regular creature features that has only intensified as the years have gone on.
It’s a tale as old as time itself. Humans inadvertently stumble into the habitat ofa massive vaguely prehistoric creature, said creature makes a meal of the humans, humans ultimately prevail. Until the sequel. However, in the battle between giant crocodile versus monstrous anaconda, which film is a better watch today?
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Starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, Owen Wilson, and Jon Voight,Anaconda’s story follows documentary filmmakers in the Amazon as they travel the rivers and waterways looking for the People of The Mist, a reclusive tribe that livessomewhere in the rainforest. Unfortunately for the crew very shortly after setting off, they come across Jon Voight’s unhinged hunter seemingly stranded out on the river.
It’s clear that something isn’t right with the creepy hunter from the moment they pick him up, there are a lot of meaningful and menacing looks between him and the hired boat captain, and he is very insistent that he knows where the elusive People of The Mist are located. Shortly tragedy befalls the group as a deadly wasp somehow makes its way into the breathing apparatus of Stoltz, stinging him in the mouth and almost killing him. Luckily Voight is able to perform a tracheotomy with a pen and knows how to get to a hospital quicker. Of course, this is all a ruse as he is actuallyhunting the legendary, giant anacondasaid to be native to the area.
The crew doesn’t come up against the monstrous reptile until around 40 minutes in when it picks off the driver of the boat without the others noticing. Voight then waxes poetic about the beauty of giant anacondas and how much one would be worth if caught. Practically, the anaconda still looks great, CGI wise it does not hold up, but it was 1997, so that can’t be held against it. What can be held against it is the tedious build-up of the first hour. There are many close-ups of Voight sneering and grimacing, usually at Jennifer Lopez as she becomesincreasingly suspicious of his motives.
Almost nothing happens inAnaconda.It’s a movie about a cruise in the jungle with approximately 10 total minutes of giant snake-based action. The movie does gain points when it has the snake swallow Voight whole and then spits him out at Jennifer Lopez as she runs away. The ending is abrupt and vaguely unsatisfying as the survivors of the ‘ordeal’ come across the People of The Mist with 20 seconds of the film to spare.
Lake Placidimmediatelygains points for having Betty Whiteon the cast list. It also starts off strong with Brendan Gleeson’s Sheriff out on the said lake with a diver. As the diver explores, something grabs hold of him, Gleeson struggles to pull him back aboard the boat and when he finally brings him in he comes without his lower half. This sets off a chain of events where Paleontologist Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda) and Department of Fish and Game Officer Jack Wells (Bill Pullman) are dispatched to solve the mystery of whatever is in the lake.
Lake Placidis an immediately more energetic movie thanAnaconda. The pacing is faster, the characters are louder, and even the dialogue is more lively. There’s a lot more evidence ofthe creatures' destructionas well. More body parts of people and animals turn up. It may be over halfway into the movie before a good look is given at the crocodile itself, but it doesn’t feel like a long time.Lake Placidisn’t exactly a deep story, neither isAnaconda.The key difference between the two is thatLake Placiddoesn’t take itself too seriously.Anacondais determined to be a serious action thriller film but lacks the action and the atmosphere.
When it comes to runtime,Anacondacomes in at 89 minutes whereasLake Placidis 82. Despite the similar length,Anacondafeels like a lot more effort. ThroughoutLake Placidaudiences are actually able to engage with characters and get to know them. They are eccentric and funny. There are stories to them. It’s not high art, but there is more depth to them than the flat characters inAnaconda. There is something beautifully silly about Betty White angrily swearing at everyone andwishing that her pet crocodilewill eat all the law enforcement in the area.
Ultimately, whichever movie is better is personal preference but in direct comparison,Lake Placidis just a more enjoyable experience. The kaiju croc is more present throughout, the crocodile effects hold up better than the snake, the dialogue is snappier and instead of a sneering Jon Voight, there is a delightfully potty-mouthed Betty White. Ultimately there can be only one winner and in this case,Lake Placidtakes the creature feature crown.
