A One Mann’s Movies review of “Kraven The Hunter” (2024).
“Kraven the Hunter” is yet another box-office dud from the Sony Marvel universe that also brought us the excreble “Madame Web“, earlier this year, and before that “Morbius“. It really is not a good film. But having said that, it has a certain kooky charm that – between the times I had my head in my hands – kept me quite entertained!
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
“Kraven The Hunter” Plot Summary:
Young Sergei Kravinoff (Levi Miller) and his wimpy younger brother Dmitri (Billy Barratt) grow up in fear of their domineering gangster father Nikolai (Russell Crowe). When Sergei is mauled by a lion, a young girl, Calypso (Diaana Babnicova) gives him some of her family’s secret potion that transforms him into a super-being with animal senses. Now grown, Sergei (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), aka Kraven The Hunter, teams with lawyer Calypso (Ariana DeBose) to terminate ‘bad guys’ on his list while trying to keep his brother (Fred Hechinger) safe in a dangerous world.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Strong bloody violence, language.”)
Talent:
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Levi Miller, Billy Barrett, Diaana Babnicova, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Murat Seven, Yuri Kolokolnikov.
Directed by: J.C. Chandor.
Written by: Richard Wenk, Art Marcum & Matt Holloway. (Based on a story by Richard Wenk. Based on characters created by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko.)
Running Time: 2h 7m.
“Kraven the Hunter” Summary:
Positives:
- There are some hilarious moments… although many are not supposed to be funny. I found it had a certain goofy charm.
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson is actually very good in the role.
- The stunt team have some fun in Central London
Negatives:
- Some of the dialogue is truly terrible.
- Ariana DeBose is given very little to do. (What she does, she does well.)
- If you go into this expecting a serious Marvel offering, you will get mad.
Review of “Kraven The Hunter”:
Flashback origin groan.
The film actually starts quite promisingly with the ‘present day’ Kraven getting incarcerated in a Russian Gulag prison in order to assassinate a criminal king-pin. He then uses his special powers to escape. But then we get the “17 years earlier” title up (I actually did groan) and we flash back to see how he ended up that way. This is all pretty clunky with some scenes of the most dreadful exposition. One of these, with the Plains-Granny-Drifter (Susan Aderin) giving young Calypso (Diaana Babnicova) the magic potion, is ‘head-in-your-hands’ bad.
Reasons to be cheerful.
Although the film is utter nonsense, there are a number of (unintentionally) hilarious moments:
- We also get introduced to Russell Crowe’s maniacal father who speaks with such a low-drawling thick Russian accent that his son Dmitri makes fun of it and, frankly, so do we!
- The genetically modified Aleksei Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola) turning into an indestructible (until he is inexplicably not) Rhino;
- The Rhino’s henchman Bert (Tom Reed) having Kraven at gunpoint and declaring to his three henchman buddies “Well, he’s definitely dead now…. you go off and do some other evil henchman stuff!” (“What, can’t we stay and enjoy watching you shoot him?”. “No, no, no… that’s just what they’ll be expecting you to do. Move along. Nothing to see here.”)
- Dmitri (“Gladiator II“‘s Fred Hechinger) morphing (without obvious reason) from a wimpy lounge singer into a genetically-modified ruthless chameleon-hoodlum!
- Nikolai’s last act bear encounter!
As ripped as a young Bond.
Given that this film is no-doubt going to sink without a trace, I feel a bit sorry for Aaron Taylor-Johnson since he makes for a good action hero. He is certainly ripped for the part. Rumours continue to swirl about him being the next Bond and, until this film, I really couldn’t see it. But from this performance… yes, I think he could fit the 007 bill very nicely.
Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose cuts a fine figure of an action heroine for the short period she is on screen, but she is given precious little to do. Her storyline hints at a more major part in a sequel that, unless there is some sort of Spider-Man crossover film, seems unlikely to happen.
Nice Action Scenes
Some of the action scenes are also well done, particularly a chase around the streets of London with Kraven hanging doggedly onto a mini-van. The stunt team earned their night-time cocoa for that sequence.
Monkey?
There is no monkey in this pseudo-Marvel, either in mid-credit or at the end of the credits. You’re welcome.
Summary Thoughts on “Kraven The Hunter”
It’s another load of Sony Marvel nonsense that will completely fail to please most Marvel fans and, otherwise, generally fail to find a cinema audience with cinemas still crammed with “Wicked“, “Paddington in Peru“, “Moana 2” and “Gladiator II“. As a film, it had some really bad moments. But having said that, I laughed a lot (not always intentionally) and its goofy charm rather won me round to it a bit. There are many films in 2024 that I would seriously not want to sit through again. This was actually not one of the worst and, warts and all, I quite enjoyed the experience.
Where to Watch it (Powered by Justwatch)
Trailer for “Kraven The Hunter:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pdR88Yc_VI .
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