Beware Boiúna Review

Beware Boiúna, a new film about a massive fearsome snake from Brazilian mythology, premiered on October 2. Movies featuring monstrous versions of recognizable animals, such as Anaconda, Lake Placid, The Meg, and King Kong, often captivate audiences regardless of their quality. Some of these films lean into camp, horror, or tragedy, but a surprising number still manage to work on some level.

Beware Boiúna is a decent addition to this subgenre, with moments of cleverness and a few twists on formulaic situations. However, it struggles to fully engage viewers. One of the issues is its length – at 1 hour and 44 minutes, it feels 15 minutes too long. Even shorter films like Anaconda and Lake Placid managed to maintain a brisk pace.

The film follows a trio of doctors on a humanitarian trip to the Amazon, where they encounter the legendary Boiúna. While the movie teases the terrors to come with a couple of early death scenes, the setup is overly prolonged for the genre. Even at 1 hour and 44 minutes, it feels unnecessarily long.

Despite trying to incorporate themes about the exploitation of the Amazon and its indigenous people, the film could have done this more efficiently or better blended it with the action. Additionally, a storyline involving characters Alli and Lena feels like it's part of a different film, and it would have been better executed if handled more efficiently.

When Boiúna finally appears, she is indeed impressive and quite daunting. Director Mike P. Nelson and cinematographer Nick Junkersfeld manage to keep the film visually appealing, and the effects used to bring Boiúna to life are solid. However, the low budget seems to limit her screen time, resorting to some distracting shaky-cam at times to distract from her absence.

Veteran screenwriter Alan B. McElroy manages to inject some deviations from the typical formula. There are moments that play with expectations, such as who dies next, whose perspective we're following, or which character we're meant to like at any given moment. However, the film fails to deliver memorable deaths, with too many characters killed quickly without sufficient detail to make their demise stand out.

Despite the various strengths and weaknesses, the likable duo of Jessica Rothe and Kiana Madeira carry the film with their believable resourcefulness. The film also features Will Close in a strong comedic role, with Rothe showing off her comedy chops, though more could have been done to capitalize on her talents. Director Nelson, recently hired to direct the eleventh Saw movie, displays some flair and some well-orchestrated jump scares. However, these moments cannot compensate for the film's lack of emphasis on Boiúna.