Kraven the Hunter (2024)

I would make a reference to the Sony Spider-Man Universe dying with a whimper rather than a bang, but it didn't really even do that.  It died more with the underwhelming sound of a punctured whoopy cushion.  The cast and crew behind Venom: The Last Dance wasn't really informed of what Sony's plans were, and it seems like neither was director J.C. Chandor, more known for doing mid-budget dramas than big-budget superhero films.  It's another case of someone getting their big chance and the studio either interfering with or just ignoring what they do.

In this case it wasn't just the studio.  Audiences did as well, with buzz about the movie being as bad or worse than Morbius and announcements ahead of the release, which had been delayed for over a year, that this was it with Sony's attempts to keep Disney from being able to use characters from the Spider-Man comics.  That any of these movies were watchable is the true miracle.  If there had been any drive to make the series successful Spider-Man would have shown up at some point, rather than Sony making every effort to make Spider-Man films without their hero.  By the time Kraven the Hunter hit theaters there was no reason for audiences to care. 

Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is the son of international drug dealer Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe).  After their mother's death his father takes him and his half-brother Dmitri (Billy Barratt) for a big game hunt, which results in Sergei (Levi Miller) being mortally wounded.  However, he is brought back to life by a potion given to a young girl named Calypso (Diaana Babnicova) by her grandmother.  Not only does it help him recover but also imbues Sergei with superhuman strength and animal-like senses, making him the perfect hunter.

16 years later Sergei is living alone in eastern Russia on land that belonged to his mother when he returns to London for Dmitri's (Fred Hechinger) birthday.  He also has some other goals.  Calypso (Ariana DeBose) is now a high-powered lawyer that can get him access to some men he is looking for.  On that list is a man named Aleksei Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola), aka the Rhino, who is looking to take over the business of a recently deceased Russian gangster.  The Rhino puts things in motion to kill Kraven, including hiring an assassin called the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott) who has some unique powers himself. 

A big problem with Kraven the Hunter, along with studio disinterest, delays and no effort to gain viewer interest, is that the general public has no direct knowledge of the character and, without Spider-Man, there is no reason to.  He was supposed to appear in Spider-Man 4 prior to Sony cancelling that film and later was supposed to appear in one of the Amazing Spider-Man movies.  He had also been considered for a villain in Spider-Man: No Way Home before Marvel ran with the multi-verse idea.  Had any of those films been made, or he had been introduced in a modern Marvel film, a standalone movie would make sense.  

So, instead of the character in context, we get a plot about rival gangsters and family drama with a bit of superhero action added in.  The strange thing is, despite the horrible ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and critical drubbing, a good portion of the film isn't bad.  There is an origin story but it's handled as a flashback, allowing the rest to pan out.  It's nothing original but it works, with Alessandro Nivalo making the Rhino a memorable villain and Russell Crowe putting in a solid performance as the despicable Nikolai.  Physically Aaron Taylor-Johson nails the part, although his acting is a bit one-note.  Same with Ariana DeBose, but then Calypso is pretty much wasted here and disappears suddenly toward the end of the movie. 

Where the movie fails hard, and where the obvious studio disinterest is manifest, is in the effects.  The climbing looks horrible as the CGI'd Kraven rarely interacts with anything he is climbing on.  All the animals are pretty much computer generated and they look as ropey as that deer from The Walking Dead that everyone threw a fit about a few years ago.  The choice to give them human expressions at times makes parts feel like outtakes from the live-action Lion King rather than anything realistic.  

If the effects had been fixed before release and some actual effort made to promote the film it would have done better.  I do not think it would have saved the SSU, but I also don't think Sony ever intended it to.  It serves its purpose of giving them ownership to Kraven for however much longer they want it, but the movie could have been so much worse than it is.  With a little care it could have at least found an audience.

Kraven the Hunter (2024)

Time: 127 minutes

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Russell Crowe, Alessandro Nivola

Director: J.C. Chandor