Hungry (2026)

Hungry (2026)

A group of tourists visiting the Louisiana bayou marshes fall prey to a huge, vicious hippopotamus lurking beneath the water.

As for the lead actress, I’ve always loved Madison Davenport. Yet I haven’t seen that many of her films, considering everything she’s done. But I’m suddenly having second thoughts about watching her TV series. Not necessarily Shameless, but why not From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series?

Davenport has acted alongside quite a few well-known actors such as Russell Crowe, Anthony Hopkins, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

She voiced the porcupine Quillo in Over the Hedge. She’s in an episode of House. She also had a guest role in Bones (as Megan) alongside Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz. I could go on about this for hours, but I’ll just add that she’s also in that rather unpopular episode of Black Mirror, the one with Miley Cyrus.

Her performance in this film deserves high praise, contrary to what most people think and say. Bunch of jealous little sods!!!

Let’s move on to the film!

This time, it’s not an attack by a lion, a tiger, a crocodile or alligator, piranhas or a shark, but indeed by a hippopotamus. Sure, this animal looks quite friendly, but when you realise you’re in danger on its territory – given that it feels threatened very easily – it can become one of the most dangerous creatures. In this film, we’re told that they aren’t carnivores and that they kill for pleasure. Allow me to doubt that! But I have no doubt that the hippo is one of the most dangerous creatures when it’s angry.

We can have fun holding competitions, but these theories are highly speculative. The lion is known as the king of the animals, the king of the jungle. It can go from a state of rest to a frantic, high-speed chase in less than five seconds. In some documentaries, the crocodile manages to get the better of the lion. And in other documentaries, we see that the jaguar doesn’t hesitate to leap into the water to attack the crocodile, even though the crocodile is in its natural element! We could go on like this for a while, but something tells me that a hippopotamus wouldn’t really be afraid of a jaguar!

I don’t think I’ve seen any other films directed by James Nunn. I’ve watched quite a few shark films, mind you, but not his Shark Bait (2022). He’s also made action films such as Eliminators (2016), The Marine 5 – Battleground (2017) and its sequel The Marine 6 – Close Quarters (2018). Generally speaking, his films don’t really feature any well-known actors, although Ashley Greene and Ryan Phillippe do appear in One Shot (2021).

To be honest, Nunn’s films have never really appealed to me. This is the only one that caught my eye, and I quite enjoyed it.

In Hungry (which is rather a poor title!), admittedly, there’s still the magic of cinema – as with that young woman who dives underwater several times but whose make-up remains flawless! And also the fact that, in the dead of night, you can see the characters quite clearly. But that’s really just aesthetics, and I don’t think people watch this sort of film for its details or its relevance.

I’m perfectly aware that this film probably wasn’t a hit and that its rating must be hovering between 1 and 2.5. I’m going to give it a bit higher, though, because I loved the beginning, I really liked the actors and I appreciated the originality of the killer hippopotamus. It’s certainly not always well done – thanks, bloody CGI – but quite a few of its appearances are spectacular, although probably a bit over the top. I don’t know, I’ve never actually come face to face with animals like that! Basically, the hippo is computer-generated and it’s actually quite well done at times, even if I reckon that’s become the norm these days.

So, as usual, fans of non-stop action didn’t like it, nor did gore fans. This film isn’t violent enough and is too slow for them. That was to be expected! They say it was predictable, but I’ve got nothing against the good-natured, feel-good aspect. The world we live in is already rotten enough as it is.

Admittedly, it’s not the best film I’ve ever seen, but it’s entertaining enough to make the time fly by. The story and screenplay are 100 per cent ‘déjà vu’, with a few characters as thick as two short planks and a plot that doesn’t always keep you on the edge of your seat. As for the cast, Joaquim de Almeida had previously appeared in Fast & Furious, where he played a villain for about ten minutes. As for the others, they’re not well known to the general public.

If I try to be objective, this film isn’t entirely bad, but there’s nothing particularly innovative about it. Watching people get eaten one after the other quickly becomes tedious and tiresome. Fortunately, the film is only about an hour and a half long.

Here’s the most positive review I’ve found for this film: “Hungry is truly gripping and manages to maintain an intense atmosphere of horror throughout. It’s the first time I’ve seen a horror film centred on hippos, which makes a pleasant change from the usual crocodiles or snakes. This originality brings a welcome breath of fresh air to the genre. What’s more, the special effects are very well done, enhancing the immersion and realism of the story. An excellent choice for horror fans looking for something new.’ I must admit that this comment makes me very happy!

Right, I won’t go on for hours, but I enjoyed watching it. For me, it was great fun to watch. Hippos – that’s a bit of a change! Yes, the actors are decent, and I can clearly see those little moments where they slip up – and that’s all people seem to remember! They’re judging something they themselves are incapable of doing, inevitably. The film also has a bit of humour; it’s quite well shot, with beautiful scenery and a good look at the bayous. And the ending – whether it was predictable or not – worked for me today.

To be honest, compared to all the rubbish, craps and flops I’ve had to sit through recently, I’m going to cut this feature film some slack – at least it tried its best.