Hungry, hungry hippos
We’re hungry, hungry hippos
We love to feed our face
We’re hungry hungry hippos
We’re in an eating race
We’ve seen countless killer shark flicks, and even a coked-out grizzly bear, so given the catalog of killer animal films, one about raging hippos seems like an easy premise. That brings us to Hungry. A clever homage to the iconic Hasbro game, the film delivers what we might expect. A full-court disaster and survival story about a group of tourists is being targeted by one massive and vicious hippo. While there is some clever tension on the surface, the longer the story goes on, the murkier it feels and looks. The hippo may be hungry, but audiences might leave with empty stomachs.
We begin in a Louisiana bayou, where a group of tourists travels by boat into the backwoods and backwaters in search of gators. However, the search is for naught when they find the prize gator “Big Ben” partially devoured. The situation turns dire when the hippo strikes the boat and sets its sights on each of them. As the lazy summer afternoon turns deadly, the group must fight for survival before the hippo eats them all.
Hungry Day 9 (L-R): Tracey Bonner, Jim Meskimen. Photo credit: Courtesy of AURA Entertainment
In a manner akin to how little the shark appears in Jaws, the hippo is kept largely unseen for much of the film. The story uses swamps and moss to create atmospheric tension. There are a few genuine moments of adrenaline and fear as the monstrous beast begins plucking off the tourists. And by the looks of things, when the hippo graces the screen, the effect is practically accomplished. The beast has some actual teeth, which helps maintain the illusion.
Now, films like these tend to rely on a single location and premise. Thereby, the characters exist to scream and fight for survival, and, as expected, that is the case with Hungry. Sistine (Madison Davenport) and Dionne (Tracey Bonner) primarily anchor the film as the dogged tourists. There is some exposition and backstory given to them and the rest of the characters, but none of them are particularly memorable. The characters exist as fodder for the hippo, and after a few chomps, the situation wears thin.
The dialogue is a tad ropey, though that is not entirely a critique. Movies like this are often a cornucopia of cliches and statements of the obvious, and Hungry is no different. The biggest strike against the movie is that it feels bloated. The title tells everything about this kind of movie and leaves little to the imagination. It also feels like it is about to end three times before dragging on. For a ninety-minute movie, every second is heavy, leaving the viewer exhausted by the time the credits roll. Now, if the characters were likable enough, there might be reason to care, but ultimately, as the story goes on, I found myself rooting for the hippo.
There is always a debate over whether to pile on when it comes to a movie like Hungry. On the one hand, expectations should be in check when it comes to a story about a killer hippo. But on the other hand, take a film like Cocaine Bear. An absurd, at times campy plot, not too dissimilar to this movie, yet the execution is more effective. This movie overstays its welcome, in part thanks to a lack of characterization and the general lack of likability of its characters. The premise of the movie is unique in its own right, but it manages to chew it up and spit it out before there is a moment to breathe.
Some genre fans may take to this movie, given its hook, but more likely than not, many will leave bored and hungry for something more.
Hungry is currently available on VOD courtesy of Aura Entertainment.
While there is some clever tension on the surface, the longer the story goes on, the murkier it feels and looks. The hippo may be hungry, but audiences might leave with empty stomachs.
Writing & podcasting, for the love of movies.
His Letterboxd Favorites: The Dark Knight, Halloween, Jaws & Revenge of The Sith.
