KRAVEN THE HUNTER Offers a Fleeting Glimpse at What Could Have Been

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As someone who has spent countless hours watching superhero movies and reading comic books, I must admit that my expectations for “Kraven the Hunter” were not exactly sky-high. However, I was hoping for a decent standalone film that could potentially pave the way for better things to come in Sony’s Spider-Man universe. Sadly, this movie falls short of even being mediocre.

Approximately a year ago, I critiqued the movie titled “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.” Unfortunately, this film found itself in an undesirable position – essentially concluding a cinematic universe – long after a reboot had been declared. Despite the numerous challenges faced during its production, including reshoots and multiple release date changes, it eventually premiered. In theory, it could have thrived, given that it was a sequel to a box office hit, boasting a popular lead actor and a director known for creating enjoyable blockbusters. However, the movie didn’t perform well financially, nor did it receive positive reviews. The upcoming Sony film “Kraven the Hunter” finds itself in a comparable situation, but without the initial success or goodwill that “Aquaman” enjoyed.

The day before the embargo was lifted for the screening of “Kraven,” it was reported that the film would mark the unofficial end of Sony’s struggling Spider-Man Universe (SSU). This universe, which has been a source of laughter due to its lackluster performances outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was unable to feature Tom Holland’s popular Spiderman due to a deal with Marvel Studios. The SSU, particularly when it attempted to create villain-focused shared universes without “Venom” in the title, has been less successful and more inept with each attempt. I find “Kraven the Hunter” intriguing because, despite its flaws, it showcased the most potential for what this Spidey-less Spider-Man universe could have achieved.

In essence, this film revolves around two brothers, Sergei and Dmitri Kravinoff, who depart their elite New York school to live with their ruthless Russian gangster father Nikolai (portrayed by Russell Crowe). On a lavish African safari orchestrated by Nikolai as a means to instill the notion that slaughtering lesser beings is acceptable, a fierce lion attacks Sergei, leading to his demise. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the path of a young girl named Calypso crosses with Sergei’s. This encounter, facilitated by a serum provided by Calypso’s grandmother, a shaman, miraculously restores life to Sergei.

The long and short of it is that Sergei now has animal powers. This is mostly the ability to climb up things, unfathomable strength, seeing great distances, smelling people, etc. Sixteen years later, a grown up Sergei (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), is knee-deep in his one-man crusade to kill poachers, drug dealers, and any sort of criminal. Dmitri (Fred Hechinger) remained with Nikolai, the shunned weaker son, but with the ability to mimic anyone. Another gangster, the Rhino (Alessandro Nivola), wants Nikolai’s empire for himself. He also wants to kill this so-called Kraven the Hunter. He hires an assassin called the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott) to do it. Meanwhile, Kraven catches up with an adult Calypso (Ariana DeBose) for help or whatever.

In simpler terms, the movie Kraven lacks depth as it’s packed with numerous plot points yet fails to develop a coherent narrative. It doesn’t adequately explain Kraven’s transformation from animal protector to criminal hunter, nor does it clarify how he can travel worldwide in what appears to be a privately chartered military plane. The pilot of the plane is only ever seen with a voice and the back of her head, suggesting a well-known actor may have been removed and replaced with a new voiceover at some point.

The disorganized storyline is one significant factor contributing to the movie’s failure. Despite J.C. Chandor’s (known for ‘Margin Call’ and ‘A Most Violent Year’) competent direction, the filmmaking in ‘Kraven’ lacks coherence. While the action sequences are generally enjoyable, they can become repetitive. The main character, Sergei, tends to employ the same tactic repeatedly as he brutally eliminates countless henchmen. Unfortunately, like other SSU films, the studio seems to have intervened extensively with reshoots and off-screen dialogue adjustments, aiming to make the movie more appealing to a wider audience.

In the flow of the movie, transitions between moments can feel disjointed. Suddenly, during a conversation, there’ll be an insert shot of Taylor-Johnson or DeBose, evidently 18 months later with a new hairstyle, delivering a line before abruptly returning to the original scene. The editing from one scene to another is also problematic, as most new scenes appear unconnected to the preceding one. This results in a tiresome experience where we find ourselves constantly trying to make sense of why we’re seeing the sequences unfold in this particular sequence.

In their isolated form, each scene is satisfactory. When you exclude obvious re-shoots, the scenes flow smoothly and continue the narrative. However, despite the events unfolding, the tension or character development never escalates on a personal level. Instead, as the movie progresses, it merely adds to our perplexity. Calypso suffers the most from any post-production shenanigans Sony demanded. She is portrayed as a lawyer in London, yet there are unexplored aspects of her past that remain a mystery. Additionally, she has scenes featuring “F words” added later on for rating purposes, making it seem like the PG-13 rating was an issue.

Clearly, the film has numerous technical flaws, and it’s possible that this was compounded by performances that were inconsistent across the board. Taylor-Johnson often resorts to his signature facial expression acting and what I call “Muscular Man Stride,” which involves unnaturally moving his shoulders with each step to highlight his muscular arms. This is quite common in movies. Crowe’s performance seems like something he could deliver in his sleep. Abbott appears strikingly out of place in a comic book film, particularly as a mysterious, hypnotic assassin.

Among all performances, Nivola’s portrayal of the Rhino stands out as the most likely to become legendary online. With an almost Russian accent, he crafts the character as a silent psychopath, and his line delivery is consistently surprising in a WTF kind of way. At one point, he emits a prolonged sound, which I can only compare to a prolonged bleat, to express displeasure. It’s quite peculiar.

Essentially, despite falling short, Kraven the Hunter had potential – more so than other SSU movies to date. It cleverly incorporated several Spider-Man villains into one universe, making their interactions plausible without giving away the possibility of Spider-Man’s appearance. If Sony could achieve a similar success with a movie about Tombstone and Hammerhead in a gang war, it might work just as well.

Kraven the Hunter marks an unimpressive finale for a cinematic universe lacking a standout film. The initial Venom, at least, offered some fun moments. Kraven, however, fails to deliver enjoyment and doesn’t reach the level of so-bad-it’s-entertaining movies like Morbius or Madame Web. It’s a forgettable film that probably won’t generate profits and will merely serve as a trivial note in superhero cinema until Sony devises another method to extract revenue from the film rights.

Kraven the Hunter ⭐ (2 of 5)

Kraven the Hunter hits theaters on December 13.

Kyle Anderson, our esteemed Senior Editor at TopMob, delves into the world of pop culture each week on his podcast Laser Focus. To catch up with his insightful film and television critiques, check out this section. Keep an eye on his updates by following him on Instagram and Letterboxd.

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2024-12-11 23:03