‘Kraven the Hunter’ Review: Craven? Not QuitE
©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Eve
Aaron Taylor-Johnson Stars in a Marvel Action Movie Where Everything Feels Derivative. Is it the beginning of the endgame for Sony’s Spider-Man Universe? With any more movies like this one, yes.
When you build a film around an action star — think Jason Statham — you know you’re in for high-speed chases, bone-crunching fights, and daring escapes that flirt with plausibility. But Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), aka Kraven the Hunter, exists somewhere in the uncanny valley between action hero and superhero. He climbs walls, takes death-defying leaps, and bends metal with ease — superhuman, yes, but in a frustratingly underwhelming way.
Kraven, a classic Spider-Man adversary who first appeared in 1964, comes with a slightly enhanced skillset. In the film’s electrifying opening sequence, Kraven infiltrates a Siberian prison to dispatch a crime lord — stabbing him with a saber-tooth tiger’s tooth, no less. He makes a nimble escape filled with acrobatics and brute strength, but that’s about as unique as it gets. Compared to Spider-Man’s web-slinging flair, Kraven’s abilities are rather… dull. He’s not quite a superhero, not quite a gritty action star — and the film suffers for it.
Director J.C. Chandor (All Is Lost, Margin Call) — once a master of cerebral dramas — takes his first stab at the blockbuster arena with Kraven the Hunter. Unfortunately, Chandor’s signature touch gets lost amid the bombastic action and clunky plot. This feels more like a stepping stone for him than a passion project, with action sequences that rarely dazzle and a story that limps along.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson certainly looks the part, all rippling muscles and brooding intensity, but something’s missing. Where’s the spark that made his roles in Nocturnal Animals and Savages so captivating? The flat American accent doesn’t help, diluting his usual charisma. Despite recent Bond rumors, this performance suggests he’s better suited to side roles rather than leading the charge.
While Taylor-Johnson struggles to command the screen, Russell Crowe adds a much-needed dose of menace as Kraven’s heartless father. Crowe’s thick Russian accent and cold delivery lend the character some weight, even if the script gives him little to work with. Meanwhile, Fred Hechinger as Kraven’s soft-hearted brother Dmitri and Alessandro Nivola as the Rhino deliver solid, if unremarkable, performances. The film introduces Ariana DeBose as Calypso, a character with potential to add mystical layers to the story. Yet she’s relegated to the sidelines, buried under expository dialogue and lacking the screen time to make a real impact.
Kraven the Hunter attempts to balance brutal action with a revenge-fueled backstory. The result? A derivative plot that feels like a mash-up of better films. There’s a vague list of bad guys for Kraven to hunt — but who are they? Why are they targets? The answers are murky at best. A climactic duel amid a stampede of water buffalo? Sure. But… why? The action sequences have their moments — a bone-snapping fight here, a brutal chase there — but nothing that sticks with you. In an era of superhero fatigue, Kraven does little to set itself apart.
Kraven the Hunter isn’t the worst superhero movie out there, but it feels like another nail in the coffin for Sony’s struggling Spider-Man Universe. It’s competent, but uninspired — a film that does just enough to get by without ever surprising or thrilling you. And when the credits rolled, I didn’t even think to check for a post-credits scene. That, in itself, says a lot.
Rating: ☆☆½
Kraven the Hunter is currently in theaters nationwide: Click for Showtimes
Reviewed at AMC Lincoln Square, New York, Dec. 10, 2024. MPA rating: R. Running time: 127 MIN.
Production: A Sony Pictures Releasing release of a Columbia Pictures, TSG Entertainment II, Arad Productions, Matt Tolmach Productions production, in association with Marvel Entertainment. Producers: Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, David Householter.
Crew: Director: J.C. Chandor. Screenplay: Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway. Camera: Ben Davis. Editor: Craig Wood. Music: Benjamin Wallfisch, Evgueni Galperine, Sacha Galperine.
With: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Russell Crowe, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott.
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