''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, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrestr ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

directed by Richard Clabaugh. The film features several

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

favorite actors, including

William Zabka William Michael Zabka (; born October 20, 1965) is an American actor. He is known for his role of Johnny Lawrence (character), Johnny Lawrence in ''The Karate Kid'' (1984), ''The Karate Kid Part II'' (1986), and the TV series ''Cobra Kai'' (201 ...

of ''

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

'' fame,

Wil Wheaton Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III (born July 29, 1972) is an American actor and writer. 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'', ...

Casper Van Dien Casper Robert Van Dien Jr. (born December 18, 1968) is an American actor, best known for his lead role as Johnny Rico in the science-fiction action film ''Starship Troopers'' (1997). Other credits include '' Sleepy Hollow'' (1999), '' Sanctimony ...

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

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

Robert Englund Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. Englund is best known for playing the villain Freddy Krueger in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' franchise. Englund has received multiple accolades and honors, incl ...

Dana Barron Dana Barron (born April 22, 1966) 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: Cou ...

, David Bowe, and

Sean Whalen Sean Whalen (born May 19, 1964) is an American actor, writer and director. He is known for his work in numerous TV shows, including ''Unfabulous'' and '' Lost'', as well as movies, including '' The People Under the Stairs'' and ''Twister''. He i ...

. The film concerns a genetically engineered

snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

, 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 (prog ...

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

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; ; ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, about west of downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate, its strip of beaches stretching along the Pacific Ocean coa ...

. ''Python'' was followed by three sequels: '' Pythons 2'' (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's citizens, starting with a lesbian couple, 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 pyth ...

, "Lady G". 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 an 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, collection, and proces ...

Special Agent Parker. The cargo is an abnormally large,

reticulated python The reticulated python (''Malayopython reticulatus'') is a Pythonidae, python species native to South Asia, South and Southeast Asia. It is the world's List of largest snakes, longest snake, and the list of largest snakes, third heaviest snake. I ...

genetically engineered in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

, 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 python. The python kills a real estate agent and the agent's client, leaving behind the client and Roberta's bodies. John arrives as the python 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 python is likely to be, then have the police set up a perimeter to keep people out of the zone. Believing the python to be sleeping, the team wastes most of its ammunition on the python's shed skin. Agent Parker realizes the python used its skin as a decoy. The python 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 python. Though she escapes, the python eats Tommy. Theresa drives away, but the python 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 python 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 python 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 python 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 python, 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 python's hide by luring the python into a vat of

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

at John's plating plant. They are able to push the python's underbelly into one of the vats, causing the python 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 Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

agent, the plant has been reopened as a bar/bike shop where the death of the python 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 Jon 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'' (1983-19 ...

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, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Northern Canada, Canadia ...

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 actor who specializes in voice acting. He began his career in the 1960s, and held around 850 film, television, and video game credits as of 2020, making him one of the most prolific v ...

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 boas of the genus ''Eunectes''. They are a semiaquatic group of snakes found in tropical South America. Three to five extant and one extinct species are currently recognized, including one of the l ...

''. ''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 known as the common 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 (also known as the Antarctic Ocean), it contains the geographic South Pole. ...

, 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. *'' Pythons 2'' (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 39 species are currently recognized. Being natura ...

that terrorize a

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

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