2.5 out 5 stars (Decent)
Kraven The Hunter is being labeled as one of the worst films of the year and comic book movie genre, and I respectfully disagree. It’s the final entry in Sony’s movies based on Spider-Man villains, and while it isn’t the weightiest buck in the forest, it understands we’re here to see Aaron Taylor Johnson look hot doing over-the-top action sequences and delivers just that while still allowing breathing room for an (admittedly overcrowded) story.
Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his meek half brother Dimitri (Fred Hechinger, Gladiator II) were trained since birth to be ruthless hunters by their domineering mobster father Nikolai (Russell Crowe). After being mauled by a lion on a hunting trip and saved by mystic magic, Sergei left home to use his skills to hunt down criminals under the alias Kraven The Hunter. However, you can’t run from your past forever, and Sergei’s come back to bite as his activities not only put him in Nikolai’s crosshairs, but also those of genetically-modified mercenary Aleksei Sytsevich (Allesandro Nivola, The Brutalist) who will put this Hunter through the most dangerous game of his life. Oh, and voodoo priestess Calypso (Ariana DeBose, West Side Story) is also here to assist Kraven in his daring do.
Kraven The Hunter is not a great comic book movie, but it’s also not a terrible one. It spends some time setting up the character dynamics early on rather than rushing through them like some in this genre do, the action is pleasantly ridiculous and gory, and the story, while overstuffed, kept me engaged with its loopiness. Johnson and Crowe are the standouts, but everyone does well selling this absurdity and the film explains every insane thing so that it makes “sense”. My sister and dad (who usually don’t go for this kind of thing) also thought it was fine, so that’s a win in my book. It knows what it needs to do, does it decently, and doesn’t overextend itself. Kraven The Hunter is both a fine enough action movie and an enjoyable finale to Sony’s Spider-Man villain films that hits its target enough for a fun night in. See it.
Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, and Language