Kraven the Hunter

While i wasn't overly enthusiastic about this film I had better expectations than the other lacklustre entries of this so called disjointed mess of a shared Universe attempt by Sony. The few reasons are listed as below:

R rating

A serviceable actor

A veteran powerhouse like Russel Crowe

A decent enough track record holding director JC Chandor

Mildly talented supporting cast like Ariana Debose and Alessandro Nivola.

A crazy hunter as the titular protagonist

and of course Action thriller plot

Sadly none of these barring maybe r rating is utilized in this trash.

As the Crown jewel of a kingdom is never to be seen a.k.a Spider Man one could hope nothing short of the disastrous results as seen here.

The adaptation of the source material couldn't be farther away dare i say.

The titular protagonist or antagonist as i like to say is nowhere near his comic book counterpart.

Sergei Kravinoff a.k.a Kraven the Hunter is only interesting for audiences when he hunts for certain wall crawling arachnid but even if we let it slide, all other ingredients here spells disaster.

Subpar plot, atrocious dialogues and poor editing has led to this utter non sensical adaptation rife with plethora of flaws.

Aron Taylor looks and sounds absolutely nothing like Kraven we all know and enjoyed till now in the characters sporadic appearances throughout his miniscule appearances throughout media.

Where is the deep baritone Russian accent that makes him instantly recognizable?

His wide and thick trademark of a mustache, his herculean stature, his bolas to capture his prey?

His iconic lion mane's vest ?

Other actors are wasted as they put little to no effort at all in the movie. Russel Crowe seemed very nonchalant about his role so much that he came to collect a paycheck like Jared Harris did for Morbius.

Ariana Debose as the intriguing and mysterious witch doctor Calypso has nothing substantial to add in the plot, Fred Hechinger's Dmitri better known as the master of disguise Chameleon is equally worthless.

Most disappointing has to be Alessandro Nivola's Rhino who transforms into a human rhino hybrid voluntarily instead of being a victim of inhumane government experiment gone awry as in the source material.

Rhino who is usually depicted as a mindless brute is a much sympathetic character when you learn he has been wronged by corrupt bureaucrats and wants to cease his existence by separating from the surgically grafted exoskeleton.

But ofcourse none of layered backstory is adapted her instead of being made into some kind of mutated abomination both literally and figuratively.

The only highlights of this mediocre half hearted attempt is the brutal and blood filled action scenes sprinkled throughout. But that alone can't save a movie from being a complete failure.

I for one am elated that Sony's decision makers have finally accepted defeat as their spin off films have ceased to be produced as of now as per The Wrap's authentic sources claim.

After destroying the Venom franchise by handing over the directorial duties to the nepotistic snake like Kelly Marcel (a close confidante and off screen quasi concubine of lead actor Tom Hardy), Sony has witnessed the fall of their cash cow with the Last dance earning less than half of the first Venom film.

Alienating audiences has never been easy in the history of movies and killing off waning interest in the future entries.

Save your money and catch it on streaming if you are desperate for this utter nonsense.

Sony's Spider-Man Universe doesn't go with a bang, but a whimper. "Kraven the Hunter" is clichéd at all turns. ATJ tries to make the most of it, yet the script holds it back. Action is a bit fun at times, but it's muddled with much pompous exposition.

The movie is kinda fun when Johnson is in action causing bloody chaos but everything else is a drag. Great cast held back by clunky dull dialogue. The script is simply bad and a waste of Aaron Taylor Johnson, who I actually enjoyed in the role. Another instance of a villain turned hero. A story that lacks any intrigue. Rhino and Chameleon are wasted as I expected.

"'Kraven the Hunter" was probably a solid 2004's action movie at one point, but the usual Sony antics are all here. Painful ADR, choppy editing, and tons of lifeless CGI animals!

Dare to say, this is one of the most soulless modern comicbook movies. It is exactly the film you'd expect at this point. The film doesn't understand a single character it tries to adapt to screen and the whole movie often feels created by AI.

It is better than "Madame Web" and "Venom: The Last Dance" which isn't saying much, but if this is the end of the Sony Spider-Man-less universe, at least I'm glad it's over.

Tom Rothman, the current snake suit and his henchman at Sony, in 2017/2018, they started a cinematic universe called SPUMC, I kid you not, it was an acronym for Sony Pictures Universe of Spider-Man Characters. In reality, this is Tom Rothman's cynical Spider-Man-Less, spider man movie universe. It was a cynical and lazy way for Rothman and his repugnant army of suits to capitalize on Marvel cache without actually making a real movie. (Tom Rothman was the overlord at Fox when the were churning out regrettable outings like X-men 3 and X-men Origins Wolverine)

Though most of the SPUMC movies are utterly unwatchable and meandering garbage, and then along comes Kraven The Hunter, directed by the inimitable JC Chandor (Margin Call).

Is Kraven a great movie? No it is not, however Kraven is a brutal and fun enough romp that it's easy to sit through for a couple of hours and take pleasure in all of the monstrous and gory shenanigans. Unlike the other SPUMC waste before it, Kraven is actually earnest in its attempt to deliver straight forward brutality and the actors are having a ball. Aaron Taylor Johnson is having a blast and taking Kraven every bit as seriously as Hugh Jackman has ever taken Wolverine. Russell Crowe and the other cast members are having an equal blast.

The story/screenplay is an absolute mess, but JC Chandor directs with a creative eye and the cast are taking this movie more seriously than anyone should ever be asked. It's an easy 5.5 if you want to turn off your brain and see what kind of onscreen murders they can dream up on screen.

Six stars is probably generous. This movie is NOT good. In many aspects, it's actively bad (see below). But I was still able to enjoy this in a dumb-fun kind of way. Here are a few factors that helped.

First, I am a big Spider-Man fan and remember liking the Kraven character from the 90's animated series. I also regularly find entertainment from stupid, lower quality movies. And I've enjoyed many of the other Sony-Marvel side universe movies.

There are also some cool actions scenes. I'm ecstatic they went for an R rating instead of being cowards (looking at you, Morbius). But by far the best part of this movie is Aaron Taylor-Johnson. His acting talent is on full display and he elevates every scene he's in.

Okay now the bad. This movie is all over the place, unfocused and pretty dumb. There are multiple moments of unintentional humor, including one of the funniest character reactions I've ever seen. The dialogue and line delivery is bad. The CGI is bad. It's a generally poorly-made movie.

But by far the worst part is the performance by Ariana DeBose. I really don't like being mean, but this is third thing I've seen her in (Argylle and I. S. S.), and she does NOT belong. I couldn't stop noticing how unconvincing she was. Her line delivery made me laugh. In scenes with her and Taylor-Johnson, the contrast in talent could not be more stark.

Look, you already know if this is something you would enjoy. If it looks stupid to you, don't watch it. If you aren't as picky and can still enjoy something with major flaws, you might have a good time.

(1 viewing, opening Thursday UltraScreen 12/12/2024)

I think Kraven achieved everything it wanted to achieve, and I'm surprised to say I don't hate it. It's a simple "turn your brain off and enjoy" kind of action movie. I came in expecting something corny and repetitive from "marvel's fantasy mafia movie"; and while there were a lot of awkward character writing and inconsistent pacing - as well as janky CGI - I was pleasantly surprised to see several attempts at deeper themes and a decent art direction. Its simplicity keeps the whole thing cohesive and easy to follow. There was no point in the movie where I was completely taken out by the story direction, or felt like there were loose ends and plot holes. It's solid, simple, and a bit boring. All in all, I give it a 7 for being a little better than mid.