Common Sense Media Review
By Clint Worthington
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Grimy, bloody creature feature takes itself too seriously.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Beware Boiúna
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
BEWARE BOIÚNA follows a group of humanitarian aid workers, led by a doctor named Miguel (Juan Pablo Shuk), as they travel from village to village along the Curuçá River in a boat crewed by Raúl (Jaime Newball) and his adoptive daughter, Lena (Kiana Madeira). After an accident involving one of the aid workers (Jessica Rothe's Alli) leaves the brother of White colonizer Brennan (Logan Marshall-Green) dead, Brennan gives chase, forcing them to take their boat downriver. What none of them know is that their presence has awakened an ancient evil—an enormous black snake from South American myth—and that they'll have to fight to survive it.
Is It Any Good?
This monster movie commits the cardinal sin of taking itself a bit too seriously. More than a bloody creature feature, Beware Boiúna aims to look soberly at the presence of White intervention in South American environments and cultures, but it never quite sinks its fangs deep enough to draw blood. Instead, we get a bait-and-switch crime drama that stumbles into a monster movie in its latter half, with thinly drawn characters who are hard to relate to. Some of this comes from mid-film twists that are intended to shock; it's a welcome effort, but it leaves the remaining characters underdeveloped.
Most frustrating is the film's treatment of the snake itself. While obscuring the creature is a tried-and-true method of hiding a modest budget, director Mike P. Nelson chooses to keep Boiúna obscured through shaky camerawork, pitch-black darkness, and other tricks that make you feel like there's not a lot of big snake in this big snake movie. Some sequences thrill, but this giant serpent has serious scale issues. Ever since 1997's Anaconda, the "big snake" movie has been dying for a rebirth (2025's underwhelming reboot/meta sequel aside), but this isn't going to scratch that itch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the nature of colonization that Beware Boiúna touches on. What do the White characters, both positive and negative, get out of doing their work in the Amazon? Should they be there?
Discuss the film's violence, especially from such a massive creature. What can be scary about a giant snake in particular?
Talk about the sexual assault scene early in the film. Why is that scene so scary, and how does it illustrate bigger questions about consent?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 2, 2026
- Cast : Logan Marshall-Green , Jessica Rothe , Kiana Madeira
- Director : Mike P. Nelson
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Fantasy ( Monsters )
- Run time : 104 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : bloody violent content, some grisly images, and language
- Last updated : October 13, 2026
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