Welcome back to the blog readers. As you guys may be able to tell by now, the Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) has been going...very poorly to say the least. The last three films have all ranged from bad to worse, with Madame Web (2024) being one of the worst films I have ever seen. A horrible Morbius (2022) and very disappointing Venom: The Last Dance (2024) made any anticipation I had for this film (which was very little) evaporate. Would I be able to silence the noise and finally enjoy myself since Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021)? Stick around to find out.
Kraven the Hunter was directed by J.C. Chandor from a screenplay by Richard Wenk, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway and a story by Wenk, based on Marvel Comics. The film stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, and Russell Crowe. In the film, Sergei Kravinoff's relationship with his father and brother is explored as he sets out on the path that will lead him to become the greatest hunter.
I have been so burned by these films before, and you could probably call me justified for having no anticipation for this film. A limping and dying SSU that cannot be saved due to how sick it is. It needs to be put down out back like Old Yeller. And I know I was not the only person who had little to no faith in this film. And it turns out my intuition was right for a change. As John Campea often says, it is lonely being right. While this film is terrible and I will not make excuses for it, it is not as terrible as Madame Web. And it really comes down to the fact that Aaron Taylor-Johnson absolutely tried his best amongst all the shit given to him.
I do want to talk for a minute about the aforementioned Ricky Ticky Tacky, aka Aaron Taylor-Johnson. There is no mistaking the fact that this guy is a great actor. From Kick-Ass (2010) to Bullet Train (2022), from Savages (2012) to Nocturnal Animals (2016), from The Fall Guy (2024) to the upcoming 28 Years Later (2025). But by far and away the biggest margin, he was absolutely the best part of this total trainwreck. While I will go into story details later on in the review, I do want to give Taylor-Johnson his flowers for proving once again he can somewhat and somehow elevate the worst cannon fodder garbage and make it somewhat believable. I would have liked to see him as Kraven again if somehow, someway a sequel was made with a better script and a better director.
Unfortunately, this is where the positives with the film end. The rest of the acting feels so forced and lifeless, especially from freaking Russell Crowe. The man won an Oscar for playing a Roman gladiator, and now he plays a Russian crime boss that I could give two shits about. Fred Hechinger, who was awesome in Gladiator II (2024), is a bum-witted waste of a character in the long-run, even when he becomes the Chameleon. But Ariana DeBose, what the hell happened to you? Two and a half years ago, DeBose was standing on the stage accepting the Academy Award she had won for West Side Story (2021), but now you are suffering in a film where you really have nothing to do but film your scenes and then go into a vocal booth to record ADR. I really hope you find a project you can sink your teeth into soon, because your talents are being wasted. You are an Oscar-winner.
Now we have to talk about the overall structure and pacing of this film because I truly think this has the worst pacing of any film I have seen so far this year. If you somewhat care about me spoiling this film, then just don't read on for the rest of the post. For the 99.9% of you that don't care if I spoil this film, here you go. We start this film with the 8 minutes that were released online (and that I did not watch as to not tamper my lack of expectations) and then we go into a 24-minute flashback with young Sergei and Dmitri interacting with their father Nikolai. Then we jump from plot point to plot point and it becomes a bit nauseating to say the least. It really doesn't help that I am sick while writing this post (and when I saw the film). We see Kraven being the protector of animals (?), then him reuniting with Calypso, then we see him with his brother and his father and other people and...just make it stop.
Now we have to talk about the piss-poor script and the elements that make the story crappy. First off, the story element regarding Calypso's grandmother and her "magical" potion that winds up reviving Kraven. Question: how was it made and what purpose does it really serve the story? Also, the line "She died after that trip and I never saw her again" is just...fuckkk. Then how the character of the Rhino is handled is just absolutely dog shit. This character has never gotten the love it deserves and it truly is a shame that nobody can figure this guy out. Next, I want to talk about the Foreigner character and what he actually means (or doesn't at all because they did not even explain why he was there in the first place). This character just shows up mid-way through the film with no explanation into his powers or where he comes from, and the character just feels ridiculous. Christopher Abbott should have passed on this film in my opinion. Also the writing was just absolutely lazy, with no real care taken in that department.
In conclusion, with subpar acting (save for Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a lazy script, and a horrible story, Kraven the Hunter is just more proof that the SSU needs to end, and end quickly. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.
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