Anacondas : The Hunt For The Blood Orchid

Cast: Johnny Messner, KaDee Strickland, Matthew Marsden, Nicholas Gonzalez, Eugene Byrd, Karl Yune, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Morris Chestnut
Director: Dwight H. Little
Writer: John Claflin, Daniel Zelman, Michael Miner and Ed Neumeier
Genre: Adventure/Horror/Thriller
Rated: M medium level violence, horror theme
Running Time: 97 Minutes

The Hunters Will Become The Hunted.

Synopsis:
'Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid' is a horror-thriller set in a primitive Borneo jungle. A group of scientists sets off on a dangerous journey down a jungle river in search of an extremely rare blood orchid that is rumoured to be the source of a youth preserving serum. What they don't realise is that within the mysteries of the jungle lies a deadly predator who keeps the secret of the orchids safe and stops anyone who dares to enter its territory from leaving.

My Verdict:Bill Johnson (Johnny Messner) is captain of the a rather ramshackle looking boat called the Bloody Mary and the only person willing to take a desperate group of scientists along the Borneo river during the rain season in order for them to find the elusive blood orchid. The group of scientists have a theory about the blood orchid and need samples to confirm their theory, the problem being that the blood orchid only flowers for a very short period every seven years and they have only one week to find the flowers. Needless to say, there is some wheeling and dealing to secure the services of Bill and off they go. Of course, as so often is, there are the short cuts along these rivers and the safer longer routes and Bill is coerced into taking a dangerous short cut, which will be to the group's peril. The boat plunges over a dramatic waterfall destroying the boat and the group are now left to scour the jungle on foot. This is when the real fun begins, as some amazingly large anacondas slowly delete some of the members of the group.

The relatively unknown cast do pretty well considering they have been dealt an appalling script. Some of the lines are pure schmaltz - "if there is a way in, there has to be a way out" when referring to a cave, is a classic example of some of the dreadful lines. But hey, there are plenty of scares to keep an edgy audience on their toes and even a few laughs courtesy of Eugene Byrd as Cole Burris, the lame comic relief. The Australian Andy Anderson also makes an appearance, albeit briefly.

The anacondas make infrequent appearances and their presence is more often by suggestion, but they really are big and could scare younger audiences quite severely. They strike very quickly and disappear just as quick so we never get a decent look at them. Overall, this could be a scary movie for some, or an hysterically bad movie for others, just don't go racing to the cinema to see it or you'll be sadly disappointed.

Rating : C

Christina Bruce