There are movies that you watch because they add to humanity’s great history of finding life’s meaning through art, and then there are movies that you watch because it’s fun to hear someone say, in panicked tones, “There’s a giant snake out there!” “Anaconda,” you will not be surprised to hear, is the latter; really, it’s the latter once removed, as it’s a direct descendant of the 1997 “Anaconda,” a deadly-snakes-in-the-jungle B-movie in which Jon Voight delivers a performance of truly unhinged weirdness, like maybe a rabid snake bit him right before production.

Twenty-eight years later, we’re back in the jungle again — but this is no remake. Rather, it’s a cheerfully snake-filled homage. Doug (Jack Black) is a would-be auteur who works as a frustrated wedding videographer (couples keep vetoing his creative suggestions) and dreams of something more than the quiet life he lives. Griff (Paul Rudd), his pal from school days, is an actor whose career has had numerous ups and downs, but who returns to their hometown with a plan: He’s managed to obtain the rights to their favorite childhood movie, “Anaconda,” so why not gather up their pals Claire (Thandiwe Newton) and Kenny (Steve Zahn) and scoot on down to the Brazilian rainforest to find a huge snake and remake the film? Carpe diem! To point out that this plot is absurd is rather like pointing out that it’s a bit wet in Seattle here in December 2025; in other words, never mind, just put on your raincoat and enjoy it.

And there’s actually quite a bit to enjoy here, not least of which is Black and Rudd’s funny chemistry, some amusing sight gags involving that enormous CGI snake (who has a diva’s sense of timing), the term “snake funeral” and a rather sweet message about following your dreams. It’s all very, very silly (explain to me again why they all went out into the jungle in the middle of the night to FIND a snake?), but nobody here thought they were making a Scorsese movie, and the fun’s infectious. If you’ve seen the original (it’s on Netflix), you’ll appreciate a few delightful callbacks to it; if you haven’t, it doesn’t matter much. “It’s just very snakey,” someone says in the new film, which is a perfectly fine description of the movie they’re in. Pass the popcorn, and a very snakey holiday season to us all!

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'ANACONDA'

2.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: PG-13 (for violence/action, strong language, some drug use and suggestive references)

Running time: 1:40

How to watch: In theaters Dec. 25

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