The Wasteland Reviewer

Kraven the Hunter (2024) Written Review

Was Kraven the Hunter ever going to be different? The Sony “Spider-Man Villain” Universe has been a consistent barrage of bad movies with only the Venom ones at least being fun. Sony continues to go back to the well of Spider-Man’s Rogue Gallery to deliver these comic book adaptations. Now we have one of the most exciting Spidey villains left unused on the big screen coming in as a hero of his own story. Kraven is a big game hunter who seeks to hunt the most dangerous game…Spider-Man. But now we have a superpowered, animal loving killer who gained his superpower from lion’s blood and a potion from an African mystic. Yeah…this is going to be interesting. 

How does the script hold-up for this latest comic book adaptation? Not well. The film deserves credit for not shying away from its weird comic book origins but there are so many silly tropes rolled into this film to create the oddball crew of characters. African mystics. Mad scientists. Yes…this film goes there. Unfortunately, the worst bit of the script is the horrible dull and bland dialogue. Some of it is so clunky that you might question the skills of talented actors who cannot make it work. Every time the film has something to say or a theme to present, it does it like a sledgehammer…that is lopsided and is quite off base. The film does have some interesting ideas centered around legacy, violence, and power but they are handled with clumsy fingers. The plot is all full of the most convenient occurrences making everything feel like it lacks weight or meaning. This is a mafia crime thriller, and it rarely (if ever) rises above the most basic tropes of that genre. This is one big, silly movie for sure. 

Does J.C. Chandor live up to his previous work like A Most Violent Year? It is hard to believe that the filmmaker that made such a gritty and impactful film like that (with oddly similar themes and elements) made this one. The overall tone of Kraven the Hunter is a gritty and stark experience. From the opening sequence (which sets a good tone to be honest), you feel that this will be a bloody and hardened type of flick. But there are plenty of comedic moments throughout which feel like they stick out like a sore thumb. When the action begins, it is quite thrilling (and leverages the R-rating quite well). But this film has less action than you might expect. There are some strong elements that help the film like the costuming and music. The costumes in the film deliver well in creating this mafia/hunter aesthetic. Kraven’s outfit looks great, and Calypso’s clothes are just immaculate throughout. Benjamin Wallfisch teams with the Galperine brothers to deliver a nuanced and intense score. The direction was certainly not the biggest issue with this one, but it does struggle trying to balance the serious tone of the film with the more silly and ridiculous elements of these comic book characters.

How do these actors handle said comic book characters? Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a cool and dominant figure in this film. Kraven is a character that does stand out with intensity and confidence thanks to the charisma of Taylor-Johnson. He makes you want to see more of him. Kudos to the physicality that Taylor-Johnson delivers. Ariana DeBose is a great actor, but she is saddled with a nothing character of Calypso who only gets fleeting moments to stand out (she does have the best line in the whole film which leverages the R-rating of the film). Russell Crowe is a walking embodiment of bad parenting, thirst for power, and violence. The film is so enjoyable when is just delivering with his fun Russian accent and his intensity. Fred Hechinger is an interesting performer that brings a unique vibe to Dmitri (Chameleon) making him stand out in this hardened and tough world. Christopher Abbott is a strange bird as The Foreigner, an assassin with an eerie vibe and an even weirder set of powers. Alessandro Nivola is constantly going hard as The Rhino (which is crazy that they went with a big mutant rhino man…but they did). Every look, line reading, and body language are all glorious, making Nivola an entertaining antagonist. 

Does Kraven the Hunter break the unfortunate Sony trend? It might be marginally better than most (if not all) the other live action Sony non-Spider-Man films, but that is not saying much. The script is weak and leaves too much to be desired. The logic of the film is all over the place and feels like it was never considered. The actors are certainly having fun and there are some good trappings to tie the film together but that does not make it a good film. Kraven could be a cool character in the future (with a solid set up moving forward) but we will see if that happens.