Welcome to another edition of double reviews. This time, I’m combining two one-word-title movies that recently went to streaming.

ANACONDA
(Netflix)

A group of friends is going through a midlife crisis. They decide to remake a favorite movie from their youth but encounter unexpected events when they enter the jungle.

The trailer had me cracking up so much that it finally prompted me to check out the original Anaconda with J Lo, Ice Cube, and Jon Voight in preparation for this new one. I ended up seeing this one a few months later, as I missed it on the big screen. It’s got that same meta-comedy vibe as The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which was also directed by Tom Gormican. Initially, Nic Cage was considered for a role, but he wanted it to be darker like Voight’s, but SONY turned that down.

I think Paul Rudd and Jack Black make an awesome duo; they’re both super funny and have this natural chemistry. Black plays the more sensible one while Rudd is the loose cannon, which is unexpected, and that’s what makes it work. I have to admit, if the cast were different, I probably wouldn’t be as interested in this.

I expected an absurd and preposterous comedy, and that’s what the movie delivered. It’s not a straight remake; it’s an ardent love letter to the cult classic, sticking with the quintessential B-movie elements. You can really feel that both leads are fans of the original from 1997, and this film cranked up the ludicrous but fun aspects to a whole new level.

Thandiwe Newton and Steve Zahn round up the ensemble, but it’s Selton Mello (the husband in I’m Still Here) who’s the scene stealer. It’s quite a departure for the Brazilian actor, shifting from a serious political drama to a preposterous comedy like this. He’s entertaining to watch as the guide/snake handler who has an irrational affection for his pet cobra. Daniela Melchior looks like she should’ve been the one Hollywood hired as the next Lara Croft; she sure looks the part of the Tomb Raider here.

The scenery looks pretty good, with Queensland, Australia’s tropical rainforests standing in for the Amazon basin. It’s a big, goofy comedy, and the filmmakers are fully aware of it, with the entire cast leaning into its silliness. The pig scene is pure insanity; I really wish they hadn’t spoiled that in the trailer. That said, I feel like it could’ve been trimmed down by about 10-15 minutes since some of the subplots get a bit boring.

Anaconda doesn’t take itself seriously, and neither did I, so I had fun with it. It doesn’t aim for greatness, and not every movie has to be award-worthy. What it aims for is fan service, and one of the cameos is a hoot. This isn’t something I’d go to the theaters for, but fun enough to stream in the comfort of your home cinema.

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MERCY
(Prime Video)

Set in the near future, a detective accused of murdering his wife has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced AI judge.

Timur Bekmambetov is a director whose work I try to avoid if I can. Ok, so I enjoyed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter quite a bit, and Wanted has its moments and a fun cast. But I haven’t forgiven him for ruining the ill-advised, poorly conceived Ben-Hur remake that should never have been green-lit in the first place.

Mercy followed another of Bekmambetov’s movies done in “screenlife” style—utilizing surveillance, phone, and drone footage. I skipped War of the Worlds, where the lead character is also sedentary for most of the runtime, looking at screens to solve their problems. The trailer instantly reminds you of one of the greatest sci-fi action flicks, Minority Report, but there aren’t many similarities to Spielberg’s classic aside from the hero being accused of a crime he insists he didn’t commit.

Chris Pratt stars as detective Chris Raven, who finds himself condemned by the very system he once helped build. He’s been accused of murdering his wife in a fit of passion. The narrative unfolds in a not-so-distant future, and honestly, it demands quite a bit of suspension of disbelief since the judge overseeing his trial is an advanced AI, portrayed by Rebecca Ferguson.

Given the reviews and Bekmambetov’s reputation, I wasn’t expecting much from this film. Surprisingly, it turned out to be more engaging than I anticipated. The cautionary tale about the dangers of AI, dubious technology, and an unchecked police state definitely resonates with our current reality.

This sci-fi story set in the future presents a rather bleak outlook on what lies ahead, suggesting that in under five years, AI could take on the roles of judge, jury, and executioner. The system turns the fundamental legal principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ on its head, as Raven is considered guilty until he can prove otherwise. At first, Raven appears to be at a disadvantage, trapped by the omnipotent and all-seeing AI judge, but somehow he manages to turn the tables.

Pratt does a decent job as the everyman detective, allowing him to show off his emotional side. It’s a nice change since I usually see him as this goofy, wisecracking character. Ferguson, on the other hand, always commands attention on screen, and she conveys a lot of intensity just through her facial expressions. Sometimes, her cold, dead, watchful stares can feel quite eerie.

Kali Reis and Chris Sullivan are memorable in their respective supporting roles, and they get to do most of the action. Reis gets to ride the quadcopter (hovering police bike), and there’s a bombastic, drone-shot truck chase in the third act.

Visually, Mercy looks the part of a mid-budget actioner (around $60 mil). The cinematography looks pretty drab, and the shaky-cam, rapid-rotating-motion camerawork makes me feel a bit nauseous.

Overall, this movie managed to hold my attention from start to finish without begging for mercy (pun fully intended). A more gifted director could take a similar concept and elevate it to a sci-fi classic, but the execution here works just enough for a movie night at home.