DVD Corner

Hungry DVD Review

“Hungry” is too self-serious for its own good.  

Written and directed by James Nunn (best known for low-budget flicks like “One Shot” and “Green Street 3: Never Back Down”), “Hungry” is a New Orleans set thriller that follows friends Sistine and Hannah on vacation. Sistine is at a tumultuous point in her life and is trying to enjoy her vacation. Hannah sets up a bayou tour with Gator Joe’s. Joining the two on the tour are a business woman (Dionne), a nurse (Sally) and her teen son (Mikey) and Sally’s retired father (Tim). Unbeknownst to everyone, Dionne paid boat Captain Rodrigo extra to go off the tour path to see the biggest gator. They find the gator dead and attempt to turn back, but a huge hippo tips the boat over leaving them stranded and fighting for their lives. Can the group get rescued? Will anyone make it out of this nightmare alive?

If the plot description sounds familiar that’s because it is. It’s a straight up knock-off of “Hatchet” only that movie had a crazed disfigured killer instead of a hippo. Anyway, this “when animals attack” thriller offers nothing new. It’s a simple tale involving a group of characters surviving a wild animal (in this case a hippo) story in which characters predictably get bumped off. One might think a killer hippo movie would at least have some camp value, but not this one. It’s played straight much to its detriment. Had there been more humor injected here, it would have elevated the film. As is, it’s largely a bore that doesn’t have enough hippo carnage and far too many scenes of characters waiting around in trees or on top of a boat. Thankfully, the third act at least has memorable hippo moments, but it’s too little too late.

Cast wise, the two familiar faces here are Madison Davenport (best known for “Shameless” and “Noah”) and veteran character actor Joaquim de Almeida who is in everything from “Desperado” to “Fast Five.” Truth be told, Joaquim de Almeida gives the best performance here. Anytime he’s on screen the movie is better for it. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 2.00:1. How does it look? The lack of a Blu-ray release is odd here as this rather bland standard definition transfer does the film a disservice. 

Audio Track: Dolby Digital 5.1. How does it sound? The audio fares a little better here with a solid 5.1 track.

The lone extra is a 19 minute featurette titled “The Making Of Hungry” which features cast and crew interviews, set footage, film clips, and story and character discussions.

August 13, 2026 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Hippo Movie, Hungry DVD Review, Hungry Movie, thriller