''Python'' (theatrically released in the Philippines as ''Anaconda 2000'') is a 2000

made-for-TV A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

comedy horror Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary genre, literary, television genre, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three ty ...

film directed by Richard Clabaugh. The film features several

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

favorite actors, including

William Zabka William Michael Zabka (; born October 20, 1965) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Johnny Lawrence (character), Johnny Lawrence in ''The Karate Kid'' (1984), ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986) and the TV series ''Cobra Kai'' ...

of ''

The Karate Kid ''The Karate Kid'' is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the ''Karate Kid'' franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue an ...

'' fame,

Wil Wheaton Richard William Wheaton III (born July 29, 1972) is an American actor. He portrayed Wesley Crusher on the television series ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'', Gordie Lachance in the film ''Stand by Me (film), Stand by Me'', Joey Trotta in '' ...

Casper Van Dien Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor. He is best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the 1997 science-fiction action film ''Starship Troopers''. He has also appeared in a large number of television and ...

Jenny McCarthy Jennifer McCarthy Wahlberg (' Jennifer Ann McCarthy; born November 1, 1972) is an American actress, model, and television personality. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for ''Playboy'' magazine and was later named their Playmate of ...

Keith Coogan Keith Coogan (born January 13, 1970) is an American actor. He is the grandson of actor Jackie Coogan. Biography Keith Eric Mitchell was born on January 13, 1970, in Palm Springs, California, the son of Leslie Diane Coogan Mitchell, a realtor. H ...

Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the '' Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. Classically trained at the Royal Academy o ...

Dana Barron Dana Barron is an American actress who is best known for her role as the original Audrey Griswold in the 1983 film ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' which she reprised in 2003's '' National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 2: Cousin Eddie's Island Adv ...

, David Bowe, and

Sean Whalen Sean Whalen (born May 19, 1964) is an American actor and writer. He is known for his work in numerous TV shows, including ''Shannon's Deal'' and ''Grace Under Fire'', as well as movies, including ''The People Under the Stairs'' and ''Twister''. H ...

. The film concerns a genetically engineered

snake Snakes are elongated, Limbless vertebrate, limbless, carnivore, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other Squamata, squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping Scale (zoology), scales. Ma ...

, a

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 ...

, that escapes and unleashes itself on a small town. It was filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malibu ...

. ''Python'' was followed by three sequels: ''

Pythons 2 ''Pythons 2'' (also known as ''Pythons'', released on home media as ''Python II'' or ''Pythons II'' and sometimes listed in references as ''Python 2''), is a science-fiction horror film released as a Sci Fi Pictures television film on Syfy. A ...

'' (2002), ''

New Alcatraz ''New Alcatraz'' (named ''Boa'' on VHS and DVD), is a 2002 American direct-to-video science fiction action horror film. It was directed by Phillip Roth and starred Dean Cain. In the middle of Antarctica, a high maximum-security prison called New ...

'' (also known as ''Boa'') and '' Boa vs. Python'' (2004), all of which are also made-for-TV films.

Plot

A plane crashes near a town called Ruby after its cargo escapes. The cargo survives the crash and attacks Ruby citizens, starting with a couple named Lisa and Roberta, camping in the woods. At a swimming hole the next day, John, his girlfriend Kristin, his best friend Tommy, and Tommy's girlfriend Theresa find Lisa's pet

Burmese python The Burmese python (''Python bivittatus'') is one of the largest species of snakes. It is native to a large area of Southeast Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Until 2009, it was considered a subspecies of the Indian python ...

. Deputy Greg arrives, mentioning that Lisa is missing, and takes the snake. Lisa's body is found, appearing to have been corroded by acids. Greg suspects John, since he works at a plant that uses acids. Scientist Anton Rudolph meets with

NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collecti ...

Special Agent Parker. The cargo is an abnormally large

reticulated python The reticulated python (''Malayopython reticulatus'') is a python species native to South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's longest snake, and is among the three heaviest. It is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List because of its wi ...

genetically engineered in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

, blending several species. In the words of Dr. Rudolph, it is, "a perfect killing machine. A 129-foot all-terrain vehicle, capable of speeds exceeding 50 miles an hour, with skin that can deflect an antitank round, enhanced night vision, and a voracious appetite for human flesh". The NSA team plans an assault against the snake. The snake kills a real estate agent and the agent's client, leaving behind the client and Roberta's bodies. John arrives as the snake leaves, furthering suspicion against him. The sheriff shuts down his brother Brian's plant. When the body of the real estate agent is found with the same acid damage, the sheriff orders John arrested. The NSA team and Anton arrive, telling the sheriff a story about a psychotic rogue operative committing the murders. He does not believe them, but frees John. Kristin, Tommy, Theresa, and he plan to go on a trip the next morning. The NSA set up base at a water treatment center. They use radar to find where the snake is likely to be, then have the police set up a perimeter to keep people out of the zone. Believing the snake to be sleeping, the team wastes most of its ammunition on the snake's shed skin. Agent Parker realizes the snake used its skin as a decoy. The snake kills the team, the sole survivor being Anton who keeps himself standing motionless in front of the creature. Theresa's morning shower is interrupted by the snake. Though she escapes, the snake eats Tommy. Theresa drives away, but the snake follows. It gets in front of her and disables the truck. Theresa hides in a crevice. When Tommy and Theresa do not arrive, John and Kristin go looking for them, finding the wrecked truck. Theresa tries warning them as the snake approaches, but they cannot hear her. John and Kristin escape using Tommy and Theresa's bikes from the truck. They make it to the water treatment center, where Theresa joins them, and find Anton in shock. The group realizes that they must do something about the snake or it will get to the town. They call Greg on the radio and fill him in on a plan they have devised. They lure the snake into the water treatment plant by having it chase John through a shaft, while they set a bomb near the entrance. Kristin drops a line down another shaft for John to escape. They pull John out and the python is unable to climb up the shaft. Trapped in the tunnel, the python returns to the doorway entrance. The group returns to the entrance to trigger the bomb, but it does not detonate. Anton runs back in to reset it. Anton detonates the charges while confronted by the snake, sacrificing himself. While the other four are celebrating their success, the python emerges unscathed. The group flees in Greg's police car, planning to penetrate the snake's hide by luring the snake into a vat of

acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...

at John's plating plant. They are able to push the snake's underbelly into one of the vats, causing the snake to be killed by the acid. Six months later, Greg has been accepted into Quantico to be an

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

agent, the plant has been reopened as a bar/bike shop where the snake's skin is used as a sales tool, and John finds out that Kristin and he are soon to be parents.

Cast

*Frayne Rosanoff as John Cooper *

as Dr. Anton Rudolph *

as NSA Special Agent Bart Parker *

as Deputy Greg Larston *

as Kristin *Sara Mornell as Theresa *

as Tommy *

as Francesca Garibaldi * Chris Owens as Brian Cooper *

as Deputy Lewis Ross *

Gary Grubbs Gary Grubbs (born November 14, 1949) is an American character actor who has appeared in 178 credited shows and films since the 1970s and is still working steadily. He is best known as Captain Steven Wiecek in ''For Love and Honor'' (1983-1984), ...

as Sheriff Griffin Wade *Theo Pagones as Dootsen *Scott Williamson as Kenny Summers * David Bowe as Boone *

as Lenny *

John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer and Arctic explorer. After serving in wars against Napoleonic France and the United States, he led two expeditions into the Canadian Arctic and through ...

as Floyd Fuller *LoriDawn Messuri as Lisa Johnson *Kathleen Randazzo as Roberta Keeler *

Ed Lauter Edward Matthew Lauter Jr. ( ; October 30, 1938 – October 16, 2013) was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He appeared in more than 200 films and TV series episodes in a career that spanned over 40 years. Early life Lauter was born and ...

as Pilot *

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

as The Python (voice)

Reception

''Python'' was originally broadcast in the United States on August 9, 2000. In the Philippines, the film was theatrically released as ''Anaconda 2000'' on October 25, 2000, connecting it to the unrelated 1997 film ''

Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus '' Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used ...

''. ''Python'' received mixed reviews. Critics praised the ensemble cast, but criticized the special effects and plot. Others thought that it was an above-average television film with good special effects.

Sequels

''Python'' had three sequels: *''

'' (2002, also known as ''Boa'') is about a giant prehistoric

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 ...

that is accidentally unleashed into a state-of-the-art prison 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 contine ...

, during a mining operation. The prison staff, the inmates, and two paleontologists must band together to escape the prison or become the serpent's prey. The film was considered a critical failure. *''

'' (2002) has two carnivorous mutant

pythons The Pythonidae, commonly known as pythons, are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Ten genera and 42 species are currently recognized. Distribution ...

that terrorize a

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n research complex and military base; the Russians and the Americans must work together to destroy the creatures and save themselves. *'' Boa vs. Python'' (2004), directed by David Flores, is a crossover between ''Python'' and ''Boa''.

References

External links