I’ve seen Orca, Jaws, Grizzly, Anaconda and countless other killer animal movies, but now…. finally…someone heard my genie wish! The ultimate creature feature attack!  

Those who know me, understand my love of two huge (pun intended) things in my life: Horror films and Hippos! I appreciate writer and director, James Nunn, for assembling these themes, and making Hungry a source of absolute delight and enthusiasm for me! Yes, this is personal and I’m going with it.

Sistine and her close friend Hannah are currently vacationing in New Orleans. This trip occurs amid significant stress for Sistine, as she is coping with her mother's illness and has recently experienced the loss of her job. Insisting on ending the journey through the bayou on a high, Hannah signs them up for Gator Joe’s Tour to catch a glimpse of some extreme reptiles in their natural habitat. What they do NOT expect is to encounter the world’s deadliest mammal known to mankind…a giant hippopotamus!  

As they board their expedition jitney, the girls meet fellow excursion attendees: Mom/nurse Sally, her retired firefighter dad, Tim, her teen son Mike and “ill-equipped for the swamp land” Dionne who appears in an impeccable suit and heels. Dionne is demanding, outspoken and pushy from the onset. Her request to be taken out to photograph and tape the largest gator, Big Ben, surpasses everyone riding alongside her who came to enjoy an outing across the backwater.  

Tour guide Rodrigo is knowledgeable in his element: all things reptile related. However, discovering a mutilated Ben upon approach into a desolate pathway, causes instant fear from the passengers that their off-course adventure is in jeopardy. Rightfully so, as Hungry wastes NO time in packing punches from an aggressive and territorial hippo who is clearly outraged by strangers infringing upon its space.  

When the small riverboat overturns, the group scrambles to climb trees for safety and desperately try to recover their bags of food, water, and supplies, all while avoiding becoming a meal for the hungry hippo lurking in the murky river. Unfortunately, their fearless leader has been terribly wounded by tusks, which now causes a race against time to save him…and themselves.  

Trapped, cold, and paralyzed by panic, this crew fights to survive the night above a ravenous predator who has no qualms to crush its meaty prey, regardless of being an herbivore.  The group bonds instantaneously with the goal of escaping this marshy nightmare with one exception: Dionne. She may act as a team player, but she’s certainly no angel in the grand scheme of things as we are soon to witness. While many demonstrate a willingness to act selflessly for the benefit of others, Dionne exhibits a contrasting approach. Her sacrifices are intentional and borderline evil, all in the name of “returning to her children.” So, faced with a 7,000+ lb. dangerous animal in full view isn’t enough to avoid creating her own selfish internal villain at the expense of other lives. Got it. Thinking back to a masterpiece (Cannibal Holocaust), one can only ask themselves, who is the real monster in this story?

That may be a cute hippo, but according to the tour company owner, Walker, “the only cute hippo is a dead hippo.” Sorry, Walker…that’s unacceptable to an avid hippopotamus collector and die-hard fan. But I did appreciate the moment Sistine stumbled and fell in front of the massive beast who didn’t miss a beat…and laughed. Yeah, that was precious.