Hungry (2026)

While the tagline says "this hippo isn't playing games", which should at least let you know that Hungry is a film about a killer hippo, this isn't a film stuck firmly within that one idea. Let's face it, it would be hard to make a horror movie with someone caught in the middle of a quartet of hippos all trying to eat as many snacks as possible before a timer runs out. What you get instead is a decent creature feature that tries to sell itself on a cute name and tagline. And that was enough to get me to watch it.

As per every successful creature feature, and it's a similar template already put in place by disaster movies from decades ago, viewers are introduced to a selection of characters who will all soon end up in jeopardy as they enjoy a riverboat tour in New Orleans. The main two, the potential leads, seem to be friends Sistine (Madison Davenport) and Hannah (Olivia Bernstone), but there's also a multi-generational family group, a busy businesswoman, and the tour guide himself to become endangered when they all inadvertently place themselves in the hunting ground of a hungry hungry hippo.

Written and directed by James Nunn, a man who started his feature career well with Tower Block, but has more recently given us the absolute awfulness of Wildcat, Hungry is a relatively fun and enjoyable slice of nonsense. There could have been a better mix of characters, and more time spent showcasing the practical effects ahead of any computer FX would have been appreciated, but there's enough here to make it exactly what you expect it to be, even down to the grizzled hunter character played entertainingly by Joaquim de Almeida.

Davenport and Bernstone are likeable in their roles, Tracey Bonner has to be less likeable as the woman who apparently causes the tour to be so far away from the usual safe waters, but she does well, and Jim Meskiman, Samantha Coughlan, and River Codack provide a good mix of family members who will suffer greater shock if one of their group is put in hippo-critical condition. Michel Curiel gets to play his guide character as someone pleased to receive some extra money, but not looking to deliberately screw anyone over, and de Almeida does well to avoid going into full on "Ahab/Quint" mode.

Nunn knows what he's doing when it comes to building up the tension, in terms of the creature activity that occurs before the main characters become fully aware of their situation anyway, but there comes a time when everything suddenly becomes much more volatile and dangerous, and that's when he falters slightly. There just isn't enough inventiveness, perhaps due to the fact that a hippo (although a very dangerous mammal) isn't easy to portray as cunning and deadly. It doesn't help that the finale is bogged down by exposition that could have been hinted at much earlier in the film, and the predictable one on one "showdown" is disappointingly anti-climactic.

If you're after some easy entertainment then this should fit the bill. I doubt we'll see a sharp rise in killer hippo movies after this one. It's much more fun to spend time with killer crocs, large alligators, or deadly sharks . . . when it comes to these kinds of films anyway. 

6/10

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Prime Time: Wildcat (2025)

I have tended to enjoy Kate Beckinsale in many of her movie choices, no matter how dubious they have been. Wildcat feels like a low point though. It's a horrible slice of mockney nonsense so dire that it will make you wish you could go back in time and enjoy the many other Guy Ritchie imitators that you once thought were scraping the bottom of the lock, stock, and two smoking barrels.

Beckinsale plays Ada, a woman who has to come up with a plan to pay off debts accrued by her problematic brother, Edward (Rasmus Hardiker). No worries though, because Ada knows just what to do, and she'll pit a couple of criminal giants against one another. Those criminal giants are Mrs. Christina Vine and Frasier Mahoney, played by Alice Krige and Charles Dance, respectively. 

I almost gave up on writing that all-too-brief plot summary. The very thought of this film has me wanting to put my head through my laptop screen. It's THAT bad. Writer Dominic Burns takes every cliché in the tough geezer/audacious robbery playbook and mixes them all together without an ounce of wit or intelligence. He's obviously relying on his cast, but they seem unable to figure out exactly where they should pitch their performances.

Director James Nunn has some decent stuff in his filmography, and his next film, Hungry, is one that I am hoping will be a bit of fun. This has to be a strong contender for the worst thing that he's helmed, and I am saying that with the knowledge that he also directed The Marine 5: Battleground and The Marine 6: Close Quarters. I can see where this could have been turned into something moderately amusing and fun, but almost everything is ruined by the laziness and ineptitude of the writing and performances.

Beckinsale is a particular liability, considering that the film seems to have been crafted to be carried along by her name. She never feels like a believable character, and actually seems to be tired of the whole thing by the time the first scene plays out. I don't know why Krige and Dance agreed to be in this, and they're so far removed from doing what they're capable of that I wish they'd been able to refuse whatever pay they were offered for this. Lewis Tan tries to do well in his main supporting role, and is believably smitten with Beckinsale's character, but he's the only one who seems to be making any effort. Hardiker does nothing with a nothing role, and I'm going to do everyone else a favour by simply not mentioning them.

I worried when this ended, partly about the damage I had inflicted upon my own psyche and partly about the fact that people involved in the making of this may have thought they were working on something good. If they thought they were doing good work then they should be kept away from most future features. If they knew they were making trash then . . . they should be kept away from most future features.

2/10

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Tower Block (2012)

A simple, effective premise. If you don't mess up the other aspects of a movie then, sometimes, that's all you need. And Tower Block certainly has that. The characters, thanks to a solid script by James Moran, are all pretty good, and this thriller cuts to the chase quickly, proving to be an effective, taut, piece of work.

It all starts off with a quick description of what tower blocks once were, and what many have now become. They were a great solution to the housing problem decades ago, but now have been left to rot away, no longer the vertical suburbs full of friendly neighbours. Then viewers are shown a young man being chased. He's beaten. A young woman (Becky, played by Sheridan Smith) who comes out to help is also beaten, but not as badly. Fast forward to some time later. The police visit the tower block, and are hoping to find anyone who can help them solve the murder of the young man. There aren't many people left, as many have been rehoused and only the top floor is still occupied. Nobody is talking. Nobody wants to get involved, to risk getting themselves in trouble with the wrong people. But they can't avoid trouble when a sniper decides to trap them on their floor, and pick them off whenever he gets a clean shot.

Directed by James Nunn and Ronnie Thomson, Tower Block gets so much right that it's easy to forget any flaws/potential plotholes. Unlike Comedown or Citadel, to name two other movies that tried to effectively utilise a tower block setting, this actually provides some thrills while also feeling grounded in something coming close to reality.

The cast and characters work really well. Smith makes for a likable lead, she's tough and believable, and hasn't let the tower block life grind her down. Ralph Brown and Jill Baker are an elderly couple who quickly show what they're made of, Julie Graham is a mother almost always thinking of her son, played by Harry McEntire, first, and Russell Tovey plays a young man who has spent too much time trying to escape into a bottle of booze. Montserrat Lombard is stuck playing a terrible mother, and Jack O'Connell adds yet another bad boy role to his filmography, playing a man who takes protection money from the tenants without offering any actual protection, until he ends up working with them all to stay alive.

The script certainly gives everyone a great launchpad to start from, making the characters easily identifiable, while also rounding them out as the situation unfolds. While it fair rattles along for a lot of the runtime, coming in at just under the 90-minute mark, it never feels rushed, and none of the character developments ever feel as if they've just come out of nowhere.

Tower Block is well worth your time, as far as I'm concerned. It's a lean, mean, thrill machine. Or you can just take that sentence and replace it with something that sounds better. There's at least one cracking jump scare, a few good bits of gore, plenty of scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and a satisfying final reel. In other words, it's perfect popcorn entertainment.

8/10

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