Hungry – Movie Review (3/5)

HUNGRY is a survival thriller about a hungry hippo – or, actually, just a very territorial one – and the people trying to survive it. It’s a surprisingly character-driven movie, which ensures that you care about who makes it. And also, who you hope will die next. Read our full Hungry movie review here!

HUNGRY is a hippo survival thriller, which isn’t something you see every day. Of course, hippos are actually one of the most dangerous animals you can encounter in the wild, so it makes perfect sense. A lot more sense than shark movies, but we do all love those, so they keep coming. Even the awful ones.

Anyway, no sharks in this one, but the characters we follow are actually just hoping to see some alligators in the wild when they come upon a hippo instead. Personally, I loved how the core plot of this movie is based on real events. Or, well, the origin story is. The runtime of 90 minutes suits the plot very well.

Continue reading our Hungry movie review below. Find it on VOD from June 23, 2026.

Hungry hippos? Not really, but they are fierce

I almost can’t say “hungry” without saying “hippos”, which is something this horror thriller plays into with the tagline “This Hippo Isn’t Playing Games”. An obvious reference to the popular childrens’ game. In any case, this isn’t anything like that, and the hippo’s actions are explained.

As an animal lover, I appreciate it when this is a key part of the overall plot instead of the wild animals having some sort of sinister agenda. Of course, I also recognize that to the people who were just trying to experience alligators in the wild, the extremely territorial hippo isn’t ideal.

And yes, you will see many of the characters die. Before this happens, you will find yourself rooting for and caring about some of them. Others are just extremely annoying. As it should be in a movie like Hungry.

A solid survival thriller with heart and horror

In Hungry, we follow a small group of thrill-seeking tourists in the Louisiana swamplands. They’re taken off the usual route to try and catch a glimpse of a particularly huge alligator, but end up finding something else: A hippopotamus who has been lurking beneath the murky waters of the bayou.

I loved the landscape of Hungry, which reminded me of the many episodes of Naked and Afraid that I have watched over the years. This is not the kind of nature that we humans thrive in, but many other animals do. And most of them can kill us.

For a hippo, eating us isn’t the point, but it wants us to stay away, which is difficult when it also attacks the vehicle meant to take you away again. As a result, this survival thriller works remarkably well, as we understand and can recognize that these people don’t have many options.

And yes, once we do get to see the hippo, I was even happy with the visuals and special effects. For a long time, it’s all about the shadows and sudden movements – as we know from shark or alligator movies – but once we see the hippo, the illusion still held up for me.

Watch Hungry on VOD

James Nunn (not to be confused with James Gunn) is the writer and director of Hungry. As a survival thriller and creature feature hybrid, this movie worked surprisingly well for me. Mostly, I suspect, because it didn’t attribute the animal with sinister human desires.

The hippo attacks to protect, and in this world where wildlife is under constant threat of elimination, I can understand that. And, as already mentioned, the storyline does touch on this in very direct ways before it’s all over.

James Nunn also directed (but didn’t write) the shark horror movie Shark Bait (2022), which I haven’t watched. However, the current IMDb rating of 4.5 doesn’t bode too well either.

With Hungry, the casting also works to ensure that we get to care about these characters. You can look forward to seeing Madison Davenport (Sharp Objects), Joaquim de Almeida (Warrior Nun), Olivia Bernstone (Mood), Tracey Bonner (The Exorcism), Michel Curiel (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law), Jim Meskimen (Beef), Samantha Coughlan (Arcadian), and River Codack (Heretic).

If you enjoy a good creature feature or are a fan of survival stories, then Hungry is definitely worth checking out. Yes, even if you love animals and don’t like them being the villain. There are tough moments for all creatures (human and wildlife), but only to the point that it’s needed for the plot.

Hungry is out on VOD on June 23, 2026.

Details

Director: James Nunn
Writer: James Nunn
Cast: Madison Davenport, Joaquim de Almeida, Olivia Bernstone, Tracey Bonner, Michel Curiel, Jim Meskimen, Samantha Coughlan, River Codack