Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Largely bloodless, suspense-less, killer-hippo movie.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Hungry
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In HUNGRY, Sistine (Madison Davenport) and her bestie, Hannah (Olivia Bernstone), are vacationing in New Orleans when Sistine learns that she's been fired from her job. While the two women are drowning their sorrows in a bar, Hannah impulsively signs them up for a "Gator Tour" the following morning. Hung over, the friends show up and check in with captain Rodrigo (Michel Curiel). They're joined by Sally (Samantha Coughlan), her son, Mikey (River Codack), and Mikey's grandfather, Tim (Jim Meskimen), as well as businesswoman Dionne (Tracey Bonner). Rodrigo promises to take them to see an enormous gator—but when they get to the spot, the gator has been killed. Their boat unexpectedly capsizes, and Rodrigo's boss, Walker (Joaquim de Almeida), comes to find them. But there's a predator in their midst, and it's relentless.
Is It Any Good?
This is hardly the Jaws of killer hippopotamus movies, nor is it even the Anaconda of killer hippopotamus movies; it just goes by the numbers, simply existing in a suspense-free void. If only Hungry had embraced its low budget and dared to be a little bit worse, it could have been a lot more fun, perhaps even veering into Sharknado territory. But, as it is, it's just good enough to be dull, yet bad enough to be not worth seeing. The story is all familiar beats, which makes the scares all-too-predictable. The visual effects look like rubbery CGI, and the characters are aggravatingly shallow. Dionne is especially unpleasant; it's entirely her fault that the others are in this mess, and then all she does is point fingers and refuse to help. (Only in the final stretch do viewers learn why she's such a miserable person.)
On the other hand, Sistine is resourceful, coming up with plans and solutions at every turn and boldly volunteering for dangerous missions. Plus, unlike many cheap horror movies, she actually gets a little time to mourn the loss of her friend, and in the end, it's her compassion that saves the day. She's worthy of a much better movie than Hungry. Perhaps the next killer-hippo movie will try harder.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Hungry's violence. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Is the movie scary? What's the appeal of horror movies? Why do people sometimes enjoy being scared?
How does the movie show the importance of compassion? What about courage? Which characters step up to help others, and which don't? Why?
What does the movie have to say about the power of nature? Why do human attempts to meddle with nature often turn out badly?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 3, 2026
- Cast : Madison Davenport , Tracey Bonner , Joaquim De Almeida
- Director : James Nunn
- Studio : Aura Entertainment
- Genre : Thriller
- Topics : Animals
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : July 1, 2026
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