Scrolling through the movies on Netflix will take you all day, and with over 7,000 to choose from, it can be hard to decide what to watch. That’s why I’ve put on my streaming cap to recommend four top choices for the week, using metrics like popularity, ratings on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, and individual preference. This week, Jack Black’s Anaconda comedy reboot is the most-watched movie, so let’s explore some other serpentine cinema.
Anaconda
The most-streamed movie on Netflix this week is Anaconda, last year’s meta-comedy reboot of the Ice Cube/Jennifer Lopez hit from 1997. Did you know they made five other Anaconda movies in between, most of which went straight to DVD? Jack Black and Paul Rudd play childhood friends obsessed with the original movie. When they get the rights to make a remake, a trip to the Amazon rainforest results in slithery hijinks aplenty. It’s no masterpiece, but it’s a good, dumb, fun afternoon movie.
Rattlesnake
Working on your fear of snakes? The 2019 thriller Rattlesnake probably won’t help. This Netflix exclusive made by Aussie director Zak Hilditch takes place in the rattler-infested desert, where a young woman’s daughter is bit by the deadly reptile. When she meets a strange woman who promises help, things get metaphysical as the bite disappears, but unless she kills another human being before sunset, her daughter will die. Cool atmosphere and good performances here.
Mute
Paul Rudd has a massive filmography, so if you liked him in Anaconda, it’s worth tracking down some of his less well-known work. 2018’s Mute, directed by Duncan Jones (who made the excellent Moon), is a fascinating detour into cyberpunk noir, with Alexander Skarsgard as an unspeaking bartender who gets embroiled in a situation with Rudd’s black-market surgeon and his associates. If you like Blade Runner, don’t let Mute pass you by.
The Lost Children
I always like to find a documentary to tie in with the week’s subject matter, just to see the real-world inspiration behind the fiction. 2024’s The Lost Children also takes place in the Amazon rainforest, but the protagonists of this story are a lot more capable than Anaconda‘s. When a small plane crashed in the Colombian jungle, the only survivors were four children, who managed to stay alive for 40 days in the wilderness before being found.
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About Our Expert
K. Thor Jensen
Contributing Writer
Experience
K. Thor Jensen is a writer and cartoonist living in the Pacific Northwest. He has contributed to dozens of prestigious outlets, including PCMag, Tested, Clickhole, and Newsweek. His second graphic novel, Cloud Stories, was released in 2017.