I don’t like Kraven the Hunter. No, I’m not talking about Sony’s latest Marvel spin-off or the film’s main character that Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays (all in due time). I’m talking about the original character from Marvel Comics. While not the worst foe in Spider-Man’s prestigious rogues gallery, Kraven is also far from the best. You’ve seen a character like him a thousand times before; an aloof hunter who has grown tired of hunting regular prey, so he decides to go full Most Dangerous Game and hunt Spider-Man of all people. Some would argue that making a Kraven movie without Spider-Man is as silly as making a Venom movie without Spider-Man (but that’s the world we live). Still, I’d argue that the former is a tired concept with or without our favorite web-slinger. I’d personally much rather see Spidey face an interesting villain like the dangerously deranged Green Goblin or the brilliantly maniacal Doctor Octopus instead of some one-note Russian guy who hunts things for the sake of it.

That’s not the only reason Sony’s latest (and possibly final) attempt to craft a Spider-Man villain spin-off without Spider-Man, Kraven the Hunter, is fighting an uphill battle. While Kraven is a bit more of a recognizable character than Morbius and Madame Web, he’s still a far cry from the massively popular Venom. Not to mention, just mere hours before my screening of Kraven the Hunter, reports began circulating that Sony is allegedly pulling the plug on their Spidey villain spin-offs altogether. After Kraven the Hunter, it’s abundantly clear as to why that is, as this is yet another Spider-Man villain spin-off that is narratively empty, technically baffling, and above all else, fundamentally misinterpreting the characters it’s adapting.

Kraven the Hunter follows the (epic?) hunt of Sergei Kravinoff, who begins this story as a young man living in the shadow of his abusive father, Nikolai (Russell Crowe). After a tragic hunting accident leaves Sergei mauled by a ferocious lion, he is suddenly given superhuman senses, agility, and strength. He’s also given a more noble purpose of protecting nature from criminals and poachers, and soon his vigilante ways catch the attention of a fearsome villain known as The Rhino (Alessandro Nivola).

‘Kraven the Hunter’s Performances Won’t Satisfy Comics Fans or Moviegoers

Even after I’ve solidified myself as part of the anti-Kraven fan club, I can safely tell you that this is not a comic-accurate representation of the title character. Where the comic book character is known for being a selfish trophy killer, this version tries to make him a noble animal lover; Taylor-Johnson’s interpretation honestly has more in common with Tarzan than the Marvel villain. Still, just because something isn’t accurate to the comics doesn’t make it automatically bad. Does the film’s version of Kraven at least work on his own merits? Well, while Aaron Taylor-Johnson does put his action chops on display, Kraven as a character isn’t terribly interesting. His dynamic with his estranged father and beloved half-brother (Fred Hechinger) is practically thrown out the window when the film reveals Kraven is still around his family pretty often.

The supporting cast isn’t much better, and Academy Award-winner Ariana DeBose as Calypso coming out with the worst of it. Acclaimed actors phoning things in for a paycheck is nothing new for the superhero genre. Still, it’s disappointing to see DeBose, who gave an impassioned performance in West Side Story, relegated to some incredibly stiff line deliveries as a barely developed character. It’s not very clear why Kraven needs Calypso’s help, since he’s supposed to be “the world’s greatest hunter.” In the comics, Calypso is a magical sorceress, but here she’s just a lawyer who happens to have a potion on her once or twice.

Then there’s Alessandro Nivola as Rhino, who might just be the most over-the-top villain in a Marvel movie since Colin Farrell as Bullseye in Daredevil. Much like the majestic mammal he’s named after grazes grass on the Savannah, Nivola is gleefully chewing up the scenery every time he appears on-screen, with him constantly going off on bizarre charismatic tangents and acting needlessly creepy around all his underlings. There’s even a downright hysterical moment when Nivola, completely unprompted, makes what I can only describe as “a sound,” which probably sounds incredibly vague, but I genuinely don’t know how to describe it beyond that. I don’t think I can call the character or the performance “good.” but I will say that Nivola’s performance as Rhino does bring some much-needed entertainment value, whether it’s ironic or not.

There’s also another villain in the film with Christopher Abbott’s “The Foreigner,” who is just all sorts of bizarre. Not only is this character just an odd choice to include (seriously, dozens of Spider-Man villains to choose from and this is who you went with?), but they also have a superpower that practically makes them an overpowered unbeatable god without any real explanation. If you’re not decently familiar with the comics character who is somehow more obscure than Big Wheel, you’ll be completely lost as to who this person is and how his powers work.

In fact, basically none of the superpowered characters of Kraven the Hunter ever get definitive answers to their out-of-nowhere abilities. Why does Kraven have the loose ability to talk to animals? Some potion did it. Why does Rhino turn into… a rhino? Some off-screen doctor did it. Why does that one secret character have the ability to control time itself? It is anybody’s guess, which gives you an idea of how barely decipherable Kraven the Hunter’s plot is.

Glaring Technical Issues Plague ‘Kraven the Hunter’
Image via Sony

By far the most apparent issue in Kraven the Hunter is how blindingly apparent the movie’s delays and reshoots were. You thought Fant4stic had some continuity errors? Or that Joss Whedon’s Justice League wasn’t consistent with the original vision? Kraven the Hunter might just be the new champion of an inconsistent blockbuster, as not even Spidey’s webs can patch up a film edit that is falling apart at the seams.

Kraven the Hunter is a representation of everything that’s wrong with the term “We’ll fix it in post-production.” A good percentage of the movie is character interactions on a green screen or ADR for off-screen dialogue. At least, it’s mostly off-screen, but sometimes, we get treated to some of the worst dubbing I’ve ever seen in a major motion picture. I swear there was a moment or two where I could see the green hue of the green screen because it wasn’t keyed properly.

Related Before ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Hits Theaters This Week, Here’s All You Need to Know About the Marvel Antihero’s Movie Debut Aaron Taylor-Johnson is on the hunt.

I suspect the constant tweaking of the film is also why Kraven the Hunter’s much-publicized R-rating feels like it was an afterthought. The majority of the film’s few F-bombs come from off-screen ADR, and the blood and gore effects are almost entirely CGI. Apart from a brief but admittedly cool action scene in the third act that turns up the violence, I’d be very surprised if Kraven the Hunter was made with an R-rating in mind from the start.

Speaking of CGI, just about every digital effect in Kraven the Hunter is laughably unconvincing. All the animals look like cartoon characters, and the non-real animals don’t fare much better. Even something as conceptually simple as gunshot wounds looks so incredibly fake that a mere tiny prosthetic would probably have been a better creative choice.

‘Kraven the Hunter’ Proves Sony Never Learned Its Lesson With ‘Venom,’ ‘Morbius,’ and ‘Madame Web’

It’s been said before, and I’ll say it again: Who are these movies even for? Spider-Man fans won’t like Kraven the Hunter because the film is almost completely detached from the comic books. Casual film fans won’t like it either because, on a fundamental filmmaking level, Kraven the Hunter makes some elephant-sized missteps. Despite directly setting up a sequel, Kraven the Hunter doesn’t even feature a single end-credits scene (even though the scene from the trailer where Kraven is in a forest with his classic costume was almost certainly what the end-credits scene was supposed to be, as it isn’t in the film). That alone seems like a pretty clear indication that the shop is starting to close up.

With a whopping five poorly critically received movies in a row, Kraven the Hunter really should have been the last attempt to right the ship. Instead, the film repeats the exact same mistakes that have been pointed out over and over again since the first Venom film. It’s almost like a worst-hits compilation of all those movies’ mistakes, with the poorly conceived idea of Venom, the barely coherent story of Morbius, and the baffling technical problems of Madame Web.

This might sound like a dog pile on Sony, and while I do think this spin-off series was a poorly developed concept, the reputable production company still deserves a lot of credit for their positive contributions to the genre. The Spider-Verse films alone are evidence that they can produce quality content if not also movies that Marvel Studios would never have made. Not to mention, the future of the Spider-Man IP is looking bright with Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4, and the Spider-Man Noir series, which, if that earlier report is to be believed, is what the company will be putting their focus into from now.

Only time will tell, but Sony and the creative team behind these films seem to be taking the feedback in stride to make something constructive, and that’s what the primary goal of criticism should be — constructive change. Do I wish Kraven the Hunter was a much better superhero movie? Of course, but the seeming evidence that the film’s flaws are so apparent that it will lead to better films in the future is worth noting.

Kraven the Hunter pounces into theaters on December 13.

Your changes have been saved Kraven the Hunter Kraven the Hunter’s bland storytelling, subpar acting, and staggering technical issues are proof that the Spider-Man IP needs to be protected before it becomes an endangered species.ProsAlessandro Nivola’s Rhino is so ridiculous to the point he’s occassionally entertaining. ConsThe R-rating feels more like a gimmick than a feature.Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ariana DeBose deliver unengaging performances.A long list of CGI, ADR, and green screen issues.

Your changes have been saved Release Date December 13, 2024 Director J.C. Chandor Cast Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Russell Crowe , Fred Hechinger , Ariana DeBose , Christopher Abbott , Alessandro Nivola , Levi Miller , Chi Lewis-Parry , Billy Barratt , Jessica Zhou , Michael Shaeffer , Dritan Kastrati , Greg Kolpakchi , Elander Moore , Filiz Fairweather , Duran Fulton Brown , Alex Skarbek , Rachel Handshaw , Preslav Shipkaliev , Murat Seven , Robert Ryan Runtime 127 Minutes Writers Art Marcum , Richard Wenk , Matt Holloway Expand

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