Beware Boiuna (2026) Lionsgate/Horror RT: 104 minutes Rated R (bloody violent content, some grisly images, language) Director: Mike P. Nelson Screenplay: Alan B. McElroy Music: Stephen Lukach Cinematography: Nick Junkersfeld Release date: October 2, 2026 (US) Cast: Kiana Madeira, Jessica Rothe, Logan Marshall-Green, Will Close, Jackson Bews, Juan Pablo Shuk, Sergio Herrera, Jaime Newball, Mateo Moreno, Vicente Pena, Nelson Camayo, Christophe de Geest.
Rating: ***
I know some of you are wondering how to pronounce the word Boiuna (it’s Portuguese). Let me help you. It’s boy-OO-nah. Got it? Good.
Beware Boiuna is the second film to open this week with little to no promotion and a limited release. At my multiplex of choice, it’s only showing twice nightly in the smallest theater. It’s a shame because it’s actually a good movie. You wouldn’t think so seeing how the studio quietly dumped it in cinemas, but it’s the truth. It’s what Anaconda (1997) should have been.
So yes, Beware Boiuna is a giant snake movie only it’s more than just a CGI reptile going after J. Lo, Ice Cube and Jon Voight. She’s a figure from Brazilian Amazonian mythology. She protects the rain forest. She targets those looking to do it harm like illegal gold miners, loggers and drunken a**holes. The Indigenous people fear Boiuna.
The illegal gold miners are taken down by Indigenous warriors armed with guns and spears in the opening scene. The raid takes a terrifying turn when Boiuna shows up to exact her own justice. Then we get a retro 70s style title card (including year of release in Roman numerals), something that always fills me with hope. I just love me a good grindhouse flick.
The main story centers on a group of humanitarian doctors traveling down the Curuca River to remote villages to treat residents for whatever’s ailing them. Led by Miguel (Shuk, Assassin’s Creed), the team includes Alli (Rothe, Happy Death Day 1 & 2) and Callum (Chase, Silent Witness), boat captain Raul (Newball) and first mate Lena (Madeira, Fear Street 1-3) who’s looking for her missing brother. They run into trouble with shady surveyor Brennan Malloy (Green, The Odyssey) after his a**hole brother (Bews, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder) attacks the two ladies. Malloy and his guys go after the group only to join them in the fight for survival after Boiuna appears.
Directed by Mike P. Nelson (Silent Night, Deadly Night), Beware Boiuna takes itself a little too seriously at times, but not enough to throw a damper on the whole thing. It seems to want to make a statement about deforestation and how man doesn’t respect nature. It gets its point across okay, I guess. Thankfully, Nelson accomplishes it without weighing things down. He’s not heavy-handed about it. That would definitely take away from the thrills.
As a monster movie, Beware Boiuna is more successful. Sure, it’s fairly formulaic. It’s not all that original. It borrows from Anaconda (obviously) and Predator (1987). The acting is pretty much what you’d expect. HOWEVER, it’s a lot of fun. It has a few effective “BOO!” scenes and decent special effects. To be fair, CGI has come a long way since ’97. Boiuna does not look as fake as the Anaconda as far as I can tell. Most of the time, it’s too dark to get a really good look at her. The gore and the environment, on the other hand, are practical all the way. It was actually filmed in the Amazon rainforest. It’s an awesome place to see.
Madeira is the stand-out among the cast. She might not have top billing, but she is definitely this movie’s leading lady. Lena is a total bad ass. As I mentioned earlier, she’s looking for her brother who went missing while driving a lumber truck. They both have history with the rainforest and it’s not good. She’s not happy about being back, but her brother is her only family. Madeira does a fine job in the role. Rothe is also pretty good. She’s easy on the eyes anyway. Green is suitably unlikable as the human antagonist.
I’ll take it one step further and say Beware Boiuna is the best new release of the week. Aside from its ecological angle, it doesn’t try to be much more than a fun monster in the jungle movie. At that, it succeeds. You can’t ask for much more than that.
