Review: Kraven the Hunter
With its R rating, Kraven the Hunter attempts to carve out a niche in Sony’s Marvel Universe, delivering a few solid and cool kills. However, despite these moments, the film ultimately falls flat, lacking the hilariously terrible tone of Madame Web or the bat-shit insanity of the Venom trilogy.
The plot of “Kraven the Hunter” is as bland as it gets. The son of a powerful Russian mobster, Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), is attacked by a lion while on safari with his father and adopted brother, Dmitri (Fred Hechinger). Given a magical potion by Calypso, who happens to be nearby and happens to have a grandmother who is a witch(?), he gains the power of wild animals, including heightened senses and enhanced strength and speed. Deciding to leave home so he won’t be forced to follow in his father’s footsteps, Sergei takes on the identity of Kraven the Hunter, who tracks and kills evil men he puts on his list of names. While there are brief moments of excitement, the narrative doesn’t offer much beyond predictable twists and underdeveloped characters. I was initially somewhat excited because it seemed like the movie would jump in with Kraven already established, but after the opening sequence, the film grinds to a halt for a far-too-long origin story before it gets back to the main plot. Kraven’s hunt for his prey is interspersed with attempts at emotional depth that feel half-baked at best, and the central conflict is laughably thin. The film struggles to balance its darker tone with meaningful storytelling, leaving much to be desired regarding character development and plot cohesion. Aaron Taylor-Johnson mostly grimaces and growls his way through the movie, but he’s had much more fun and interesting roles previously. Russell Crowe and Alessandro Nivola put in spirited performances as the villains, chewing scenery in an entertaining way, but their efforts can’t entirely save the movie. Christopher Abbott is also kind of interesting as The Foreigner, a super deep-cut Marvel character who can hypnotize opponents with his eyes and has a personal vendetta against Kraven. Ariana DeBose feels wasted as Calypso, a character who feels obligated to be included because of the source material but doesn’t really have much to do, and half-heartedly joins Kraven’s crusade.
The action scenes, although gory and intense at times, don’t do much to elevate the film from its mediocrity. There’s a sense that the movie is trying too hard to be gritty and edgy without offering anything new or innovative. The kills may be cool, but they don’t carry the weight needed to make them memorable or impactful. Kraven’s animalistic powers also veer wildly between looking cool and hilariously terrible, like when he scrambles up buildings or runs on all fours. There’s a sequence where Kraven is stealthily following some enemy guards, and I guess his animal powers make him absolutely silent, but he’s so absurdly close to the guards that even then, there’s no way they wouldn’t detect him. It’s like an extended bit of “I’m not touching you” and is laughable in its execution. The Rhino is also used a bit better than The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but not by much. There isn’t a lot of internal logic, as Aleksei Sytsevich has a genetic condition that turns him into a Rhino, which is extremely painful but makes him nearly invulnerable. At a certain point, though, he just fully transforms and seems fine.
“Kraven the Hunter” has its moments, but they are too few and far between to make up for the overall lackluster storytelling and bland execution. While it avoids the pitfalls of being laughably terrible, it doesn’t bring anything exciting or unique to the table, leaving it just another forgettable (and hopefully final) entry in Sony’s struggling Marvel Universe.
