Savage Hunt (2025)

Savage Hunt (2025)

A man tracks a large grizzly bear, which has begun attacking humans following the construction of a new holiday resort.

What can be said about this film? In any case, it won’t be joining the list of the best films of 2025, alas, nor the best films of its genre.

Let’s take a look back at a series of these films featuring large wild beasts:

There was Prey (2024) with a lion. Yes, I’m talking about the one with Ryan Phillippe, Emile Hirsch and Mena Suvari. But there’s also Prey (2016), also featuring a lion (in the middle of a city this time), set in Holland, but which isn’t just about sex and drugs.

We continue with the lions and come across Beast (2022) starring the great Idris Elba. A film with a bit too much exaggeration. But still better than Burning Bright (2009) with a tiger breaking into a house. I really love the idea, but the far-fetched film fails to convince at all.

Let’s move on to crocodiles and alligators! There are too many, but I’ll certainly mention Black Water (2007) and its sequel Black Water: Abyss (2020), Crawl (2019) and the original Lake Placid (1999).

Do you really need a list of good shark films? There are certainly two released every year. Well… let’s just say one is a bit of a rubbish film and the other tries to hold its own. Just remember Jaws (1975), Open Water 1 & 2 (2003 and 2006), Great White (2021), 47 Meters Down (2017) and The Shallows (2016). Dangerous Animals (2025) isn’t too bad either.

Let’s move on to bears and other grizzlies! Into the Grizzly Maze (2015) is quite good, but just like Beast, the exaggeration is rather sickening. Who believes you can survive a bare-handed fight against any of these wild beasts at the height of their fury? You’ll find that in this film, if anywhere.

One I really like and have seen several times is Bear (2010), known as Grizzly in France. But it isn’t packed with action either; rather, it’s full of heart-to-heart conversations between two couples. A word to the wise!

On the other hand, I haven’t seen any of the following: Grizzly (1976), Grizzly Adams (1999), Grizzly Park (2008), or No Escape – Grizzly Night (2025).

I think Savage Hunt has missed the mark. Unless, of course, it’s content to settle for that! It’s a film with a bit of an environmental message, but it lacks both resources and credibility. You can either be impressed that they managed to tame a grizzly bear… or find it laughable that it looks so amateurish! Admittedly, we see the creature attacking humans with physical contact… but you get the sense that it isn’t really all that hostile, and that moments of tenderness are being passed off as moments of great violence. The fake blood certainly tasted good, and the actors playing the beast’s victims must have known it well before filming these scenes.

Savage Hunt has a nice side to it, but it clearly drags in places. The hunt is neither exciting nor thrilling. Among all his weapons, the tracker has a bow and arrows, and we don’t even get to see them being used. All right, that’s realistic: in a film, nothing is left to chance, whereas in real life, you can take all the gear you like, but if you’re attacked from behind, you won’t last long.

Savage Hunt is worse than all the other films I mentioned in my review. I might have forgiven it if the ending had been better. At the same time, it’s brisk (unlike the rest) and doesn’t beat about the bush. Once the mission is accomplished, the credits roll without any extra scenes to drag the film out.

There’s drama and a revenge plot… but I didn’t really understand why it didn’t happen sooner.

Perhaps worth watching once for the most forgiving and patient viewers