Kraven the Hunter

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)

It's far from a disaster. While the dialogue occasionally veers into awkward territory, and not the greatest CGI, the film delivers well-executed action sequences that keep the momentum going. Aaron Taylor-Johnson is particularly impressive, showcasing both physical prowess and screen presence, further cementing his status as a compelling action star.

The second half does feel a bit rushed, but at just 120 minutes, the filmmakers seems to just want to quickly wrap things up. That said, this story might have worked even better as a mini-series, giving more time to flesh out characters like Dimitri and Calypso. A longer look at Sergei's transformation into Kraven during his isolation in Far Eastern Russia could've added more depth and made his journey feel even more impactful.

It's a very decent movie for a Saturday night with your brain in park. Just don't take it so seriously. Definitely worth a watch just because of Aaron Taylor-Johnson's wild action sequences. No pun intended.

The latest entry in the Spider-Man adjacent movies, Kraven delivers on super-hero based action, broad predictable characters and a by-the-numbers plot.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson delivers a solid performance, with an impressive amount of physicality. Russell Crowe is better than in Thor: Love and Thunder. The other cast members provide adequate performances.

Alas, the same cannot be said for Ariane DeBose (Calypso), whose delivery is so wooden that it caused open laughter in the theatre. The same is true for the woman playing her grandmother, though she at least had the excuse of having a massive exposition dump in 3 minutes of screen time.

Credit to Sony for persevering with this cinematic universe despite its lacklustre performance.

This was a great popcorn movie, I really enjoyed it! It had some good humor, and I liked that Kraven went after bad guys. I didn't know anything about the character or story beforehand, so it was all new to me. I was surprised that Kraven wasn't the only enhanced human (Rhino, Foreigner), but it just made it a bit more interesting.

I am bothered by how many people denigrated Ariana Debose, who was fine with what she was given. Fred Hechinger (who was also on Gladiator II) was decent as the brother.

Was it perfect? Heck no. But it was much better than I expected! It is a fun movie to see, better than many out there. Oh, and shockingly no extra scene during or after the credits!

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.