The Corner Penthouse

Mill Creek Entertainment recently released the Anaconda (1997) Steelbook Blu-ray. Let's take a look at it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

A documentary film crew, headed by anthropologist Steve Cale (Eric Stoltz) and director Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez), 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 Paul Serone (Jon Voight), a Paraguayan guide, who joins their expedition. But Serone is actually a poacher on the trail of a legendary snake. When Serone hijacks the boat and its crew on his quest to track and kill the giant snake, he steers the expedition right into the path of the deadly monster.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The movie is presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:29:22. The movie has been rated PG-13 for intense adventure violence, and for brief language and sensuality. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages include English SDH.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the content listed below can be found on the Blu-ray disc.

• There's a Devil Inside Everyone: Directing Anaconda (16:34) - A 2023 interview with director Luis Llosa.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

No digital copy code voucher is included inside the beautiful Steelbook case, which features the titular snake's eyes (and title, credits, tagline) on the front, and our intrepid explorers on the back. The inside features a photo of the ship and the jungle spread across both sides.


[ NOTES ]

The Anaconda (1997) Steelbook Blu-ray is currently a Walmart-exclusive. I do not know if it will be available at other retailers at a later date. It's a fun creature feature, and I definitely recommend it. While Sony did previously release the movie on Blu-ray in 2009, that disc does not contain any extras. So, Mill Creek's new disc is an improvement in that department. If you favor audio over extras, it should be noted that Mill Creek's disc contains a 2.0 audio track, while Sony's disc has 5.1 audio. Personally, I prefer the Mill Creek disc as I listen through TV speakers, so 2.0 audio is fine with me, and I prefer having the single extra over having none. The choice is yours.

Anaconda (1997) is the first in what is now a four film series. In the U.S., the other three films are on DVD only: Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (2004), Anaconda 3: Offspring (2008) (TVM), and Anacondas: Trail of Blood (2009) (TVM). If you want them on Blu-ray (and why wouldn't you?), you will have to buy 88 Films' Anaconda Quadrilogy Blu-ray set, which is from the United Kingdom, and is supposedly region-free (but mislabeled as Region B); according to DVD Compare. It includes all four films, with a few extras for each one. Yes, it includes Anaconda (1997), so if you buy it, you really won't need this new Mill Creek Steelbook (unless you really want the Steelbook and Luis Llosa interview). Of course, being an import, and also being out-of-print, it won't be cheap. I guess it all depends on how much money you have and how bad your completist OCD is. If you can do without the sequels, the Mill Creek Steelbook is the one I would go with.

Finally, these is the cross-over film Lake Placid vs. Anaconda (2015), which is only available on Unrated DVD. Yes, Sony crossed over the "killer alligator" series with the "killer snake" series. There are, currently, six films in the Lake Placid series. This cross-over film is the fifth.

This item has been provided by Mill Creek Entertainment for review on this site.