''New Alcatraz'' (named ''Boa'' on VHS and DVD), is a 2002 American

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

horror film. It was directed by Phillip Roth and starred

Dean Cain Dean George Cain ( Tanaka; born July 31, 1966) is an American actor. From 1993 to 1997, he played Clark Kent / Superman in the TV series '' Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman''. Cain was the host of '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' a ...

. In the middle of Antarctica, a high maximum-security prison called New Alcatraz has recently become operational. When a mining crew inside the prison accidentally drills into a strange rock formation, a giant, prehistoric boa constrictor is unleashed upon the prison and goes on a killing rampage. It is up to the prison staff, inmates, two paleontologists, and a group of soldiers to hunt down and eliminate the beast.

Plot

In New Alcatraz, the world's most secure

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...

located in

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

, a drilling operation inadvertently releases a giant,

boa constrictor The boa constrictor (scientific name also ''Boa constrictor''), also called the red-tailed boa, is a species of large, non-venomous, heavy-bodied snake that is frequently kept and bred in captivity. The boa constrictor is a member of the family B ...

from a large, hollow rock that had been preserving it in

suspended animation Suspended animation is the temporary (short- or long-term) slowing or stopping of biological function so that physiological capabilities are preserved. It may be either hypometabolic or ametabolic in nature. It may be induced by either endogen ...

. The snake chews a hole through the

ice Ice is water frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 degrees Celsius or Depending on the presence of impurities such as particles of soil or bubbles of air, it can appear transparent or a more or less opaqu ...

, enabling it to escape into the prison. The hole is discovered by workers and a guard is placed on it until the

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

s can assess the hole and block it up. Jenkins, the guard, hears a strange hissing noise in the tunnels and is sent by Sergeant Quinn, his supervisor, to investigate; Jenkins, unnerved, requests backup, causing Quinn to send the engineers, Poluso and Goodman, to help him. Jenkins is stalked and killed by the snake; arriving on scene, Poluso and Goodman grumble about being woken up.

Blood Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in the cir ...

drips down from the pipes onto Poluso, causing him to stare up in confusion, just as the snake attacks him and Goodman. The engineers’ screams can be heard as the snake begins to move further into the prison. The prison sends out a distress call which is received by the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is th ...

. They hire

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

Robert Trenton and his wife Jessica to assist a military team led by Major Larsten in the search to destroy the snake. When they arrive at the prison, they discover a group of survivors, led be head of security Quinn and prison warden Fred Riley. The security and military personnel split up and set out to find and kill the snake whilst Robert, Jessica and Fred watch on in the control room. A soldier named McCarthy is killed by the snake while his partner Simmons is found shot dead; one by one, the other personnel are also killed. Robert and Jessica join in the hunt. After a

skirmish Skirmishers are light infantry or light cavalry soldiers deployed as a vanguard, flank guard or rearguard to screen a tactical position or a larger body of friendly troops from enemy advances. They are usually deployed in a skirmish line, an i ...

with the snake, a

gas pipe Pipeline transport is the long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas through a system of pipes—a pipeline—typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countr ...

ruptures and explodes, killing the remaining security and military members. Robert and Jessica survive and flee from the snake, but Jessica is seemingly killed. Robert returns to the security room and convinces Fred to release the prisoners to help in their escape. Fred releases the prisoners, and the group devises a plan to escape. During the escape, one of the prisoners, a “

black hat Black hat, blackhats, or black-hat refers to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Black hat (computer security), a hacker who violates computer security for little reason beyond maliciousness or for personal gain * Black hat, part of black and whit ...

”

hacker A hacker is a person skilled in information technology who uses their technical knowledge to achieve a goal or overcome an obstacle, within a computerized system by non-standard means. Though the term ''hacker'' has become associated in popu ...

named Kelly Mitich, attempts to save himself, only to be killed by the snake and accidentally causing another gas explosion, killing Fred. Meanwhile, the other group led by Chechen prisoner Yuri Breshcov and his cousin Peter Yuvol who had been arrested at the beginning of the film for attempting to purchase mid-range

nuclear missile Nuclear weapons delivery is the technology and systems used to place a nuclear weapon at the position of detonation, on or near its target. Several methods have been developed to carry out this task. ''Strategic'' nuclear weapons are used primari ...

s for Chechnya. He finds Jessica alive, and they take her in. The snake then kills two of the prisoners, but Yuri and Jessica escape to the surface. Meanwhile, Robert and prisoner Patricia O'Boyle, a member of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief th ...

, attempt to escape, although the snake kills Patricia while Robert escapes to the surface. Robert, Jessica, and Yuri attempt to escape on the military plane, although the snake sneaks onboard and kills one of the pilots. In the ensuing battle, the snake is ejected from the plane, but Yuri is dragged out with it, and the two fall to their deaths. Robert and Jessica, bewildered but alive, fly to safety.

Cast

as Dr. Robert Trenton *

Elizabeth Lackey Elizabeth Lackey (born 2 March 1971), is an Australian actress sometimes credited under the name Lisa Lackey. Career Lackey grew up in Orange, New South Wales, and attended Orange High School. Lackey was working as a model before she was cas ...

as Dr. Jessica Platt-Trenton *

Mark Sheppard Mark Andreas Sheppard (born 30 May 1964) is an English actor and musician. He is often credited as Mark A. Sheppard. Sheppard is known for playing the demon/King of Hell Crowley on ''Supernatural'' and for his recurring roles as lawyer Romo La ...

as Yuri Breshcov *

Dean Biasucci Dean Biasucci (born July 25, 1962) is a former placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Indianapolis Colts and the St. Louis Rams. Early years Biasucci played college football for the Western Carolina Catamounts, and ...

as Major Larsten *

Craig Wasson Craig Wasson (born March 15, 1954) is an American actor. He made his film debut in ''Rollercoaster'' (1977). He is best known for his roles as Jake Scully in Brian DePalma's ''Body Double'' (1984), and Neil Gordon in Chuck Russell's '' A Nightm ...

as Warden Fred Riley *

Grand L. Bush Grand Lee Bush (born December 24, 1955) is an American actor of stage, television and major motion pictures. Early life and education Bush was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of actor Robert Bush and his wife Essie Bush. Shakespearean- ...

as Sergeant Quinn *

Richard Tanner New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's ...

as Peter Yuvol *Amanda Reyne as Patricia O'Boyle * Greg Collins as Scott Poluso *Gary Hershberger as Goodman *

Dana Ashbrook Dana Vernon Ashbrook (born May 24, 1967) is an American actor, best known for playing Bobby Briggs on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its 1992 prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me''. Early life Ashbrook was ...

as Kelly Mitich *Robert Madrid as Jose *Chris Ufland as Jenkins *

Christopher Michael Christopher Michael is an American actor, director, writer, who is most famous for portraying Sergeant/Detective/Captain/Chief Michaels on '' 7th Heaven''. He appeared in over 45 episodes throughout the show's 243-episode run. Filmography *'' ...

as Captain Thomas *Ron Otis as McCarthy

Critical reception

''Boa'' was released to compete with '' Python II'' (2002), a sequel to one of the most popular made-for-television snake movies of all time, ''

Python Python may refer to: Snakes * Pythonidae, a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia ** ''Python'' (genus), a genus of Pythonidae found in Africa and Asia * Python (mythology), a mythical serpent Computing * Python (pro ...

''. ''Boa'' was a critical failure, with reviews citing bad acting and poor special effects.

Sequel

'' Boa vs. Python'' was released after the success of the ''Python'' franchise and the failure of ''Boa''; ''Boa vs. Python'' was also a critical failure. The filmmakers had decided to make a crossover with ''Python'' and ''Boa'', involving the two types of snakes fighting each other. It has been noted that ''Boa vs. Python'' was inspired by ''

Alien vs. Predator ''Alien vs. Predator'' (also known as ''Aliens versus Predator'' and ''AVP'') is a science-fiction action horror media franchise created by comic book writers Randy Stradley and Chris Warner. The series is a crossover between, and part of, th ...

'' (2004).

Release

Both the

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

and VHS versions have been out of print as of 2010, but they can be found online and at

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

External links