Synopsis:
Kraven the Hunter is the action-packed, R-rated, standalone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
What We Thought:
I can’t say I was disappointed in Kraven The Hunter because I had low expectations for it in the first place. I like the character from the comics and the R-rating was a positive going into it, but with very little promotion and it being shot like two years ago you kind of figured Sony didn’t seem to have much hope for it either. After watching it I understand why they didn’t have much hope for it.
The biggest issue with the film is it’s just your standard CGI heavy comic book film. Kraven has super powers from a serum and you see him climbing buildings and fighting people and it’s all CGI. If the movie came out in 2004 and not 2024 it would have been cool. Unfortunately the dozens of MCU films over the past decade plus have raised our expectations in comic book movies. Everything about this movie looks fake and unrealistic. There are a few scenes with a herd of animals (I believe water buffalo or something big like that) and not one of them looks realistic. Jurassic Park made dinosaurs come to life 30 years ago and despite the advancement in technology since then, we still don’t get realistic looking animals through CGI. Climbing through the prison, climbing up skyscrapers, running through the landscapes, none of it looks authentic.
The worst part is, the character should work in today’s world. The Deadpool franchise has provided the blueprints for making an R-rated comic book movie. Kraven is a hunter, he’s super violent. Add in swearing with the violence and the R-rating is necessary. Deadpool & Wolverine was a huge blockbuster with the same rating. This will be lucky to make its budget back in the US. There is some good violence in the film, but the editing hides a lot of it. Kraven, like Deadpool, should be allowed to get away with violence and for some reason Sony hindered that. The Venom franchise certainly should have been rated R, but it wasn’t so I was hoping with Kraven getting it I’d at least enjoy that element. I didn’t.
I also have to say that the film didn’t play well to an audience. There are scenes that are 100% there for audience reactions and they don’t land. Calypso delivers a line like “3 motherf*cker” towards The Foreigner, but there was no reaction to it whatsoever. The Easter eggs for Spider-Man fans don’t get the reactions they should either. Miles Warren (Jackal) is referenced multiple times. Rhino, The Chameleon and The Foreigner are all in the film. The Chameleon is Kraven’s half-brother so he had to be there. Calypso as the love interest makes sense from the comics, but none of it played well for the audience watching it.
I like Aaron Taylor-Johnson. He looks like a comic book hero. I like Russell Crowe who plays Kraven’s gangster father. I like that they let a violent character have an R-rating. Unfortunately I didn’t like Kraven The Hunter. Sony’s Spider-Man film universe isn’t what it should be and although the Venom movies have made some money, others like Morbius and Madame Web continue to bring down the non-Spidey flicks. Kraven could return if we ever get a Sinister Six flick, but when this one does nothing at the box office they won’t be fast tracking a sequel.
Directed by:
J.C. Chandor
Story by:
Richard Wenk
Screenplay by:
Richard Wenk and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway
Based on the Marvel Comics
Produced by:
Avi Arad
Matt Tolmach
David Householter
Cast:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Ariana DeBose
Fred Hechinger
Alessandro Nivola
Christopher Abbott
Russell Crowe
The Nerds Templar 