There is a reason Sony announced that Kraven the Hunter will be the final film in their bizarre Marvel Sony-verse. It’s bad. Really, really bad.
I finally was able to see Kraven the Hunter, a movie I was genuinely looking forward to after their presentation at New York Comic-Con and the footage that was shown there. It was clear that Sony was going to be leaning into the R-rating and that made me happy. I love a bloody, gore-filled, action sequence.
Even with all the negative reviews, I was sure there would be something fun and intriguing about Kraven the Hunter, and there was no way that it is as bad as I have heard. Well, I was wrong. Somehow this movie is worse than Madame Web, which is a terrible movie.
I should preface all of this by saying that I am a massive Marvel fan. Not just the movies, but I have been reading Marvel comic books since I was 8 years old. I love Marvel, and while Kraven the Hunter is not at the top of my list of favorites, I do find him to be an interesting character. And I am also a fan of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s work.
I sat down to watch Kraven the Hunter with an open mind, but it did not take long for me to realize that I was about to embark on two hours of a poorly written, poorly executed, film.
The Dialogue In Kraven The Hunter Is Atrocious.. And The Movie Itself Is Quite Boring
Probably the biggest issue with Kraven the Hunter is the dialogue. These characters simply do not speak as humans speak. There are sentences that come out of their mouths that are laughable – and not in a good way.
The plot is filled to the brim with conveniences. Oh, good thing you started messing with those Tarot cards and oh wow, this thing I was going to give you years from now, I just so happen to have on me, so here you go. Kraven gets back to his brother’s house just in time to watch him get kidnapped. And when Calypso gets that phone call from Kraven, it is the exact time the “men who don’t look like they belong here” show-up.
The problem with Kraven the Hunter is that it is kind of boring. Even though there are several action sequences weaved throughout the film, the story that is being told is all over the place and not even remotely interesting. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Fred Hechinger try with what they are given, but it is not nearly enough. Hechinger has been absolutely crushing it in the acting game, so go ahead and check out his other films, you aren’t missing anything if you skip Kraven the Hunter.
Another issue that this movie has is the CGI. Kraven is running around and climbing things like an animal, pretty much constantly, but it looks awful. There was clearly a ridiculous amount of ADR in this film. You can tell because the actual words spoken almost never line up with the movement of the characters’ mouths – especially when it comes to Rhino. Speaking of Rhino… wow, that was a choice when it comes to his design.
I feel bad for Ariana DeBose in this movie because she is a very talented actress, but is given almost nothing to work with when it comes to her character. There is almost no point for her to even be there – to the point where it has me wondering if some of her scenes were cut.
At Least The R-Rated Action Is… R-Rated
But hey, there is one tiny little positive note when it comes to Kraven the Hunter. There are some pretty cool kills. Kraven is.. a hunter, as you might have figured out, so to see him taking these poachers out can be fun at times. There are some gnarly kills. The problem here is that the movie surrounding these scenes is so bad, that you find yourself bored, even with the blood and gore.
Somehow Sony has never really figured out what to do with these Spider-Man villains. I, personally, love the Venom movies. I enjoy them a lot and revisit them often. But I know that there are quite a few people out there that do not agree with me.
I never thought I would say a Marvel movie is worse than Madame Web, but here we are. Madame Web is at least fun to make fun of while you watch, this one is just a slog to get through.
NEXT: Leigh Whannell Compares Wolf Man To The Invisible Man
About Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunter is the visceral, action-packed origin story of how and why one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
Kraven the Hunter is playing in select theaters and will be released digitally on January 14th.