Kraven The Hunter Review: Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Marvel Return Is A Letdown

The upcoming Sony film is set to focus on “Kraven the Hunter” (once again played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the offspring of a prominent drug dealer named Nikolai (portrayed by Russell Crowe). As a teenager, Sergei grew disillusioned with his father’s lifestyle and abandoned him, adopting the persona of Kraven. Comic book aficionados are aware that Kraven takes pleasure in hunting humans because they represent nature’s most challenging quarry. This characterization positions him as an authentic antagonist, as he doesn’t kill for ethical reasons; he kills for entertainment. In this film, however, Kraven is motivated by a specific conflict, one that stems from his opposition to his father’s beliefs.

‘Kraven the Hunter’ Review: Aaron Taylor-Johnson Brings the Brawn but Can’t Muscle Up the Excitement in Turgid Marvel Origin Story

In the midst of the painfully boring movie, “Kraven the Hunter”, there’s an unexpectedly humorous moment when Ariana DeBose, portraying a high-profile lawyer tied to a series of gangster murders, manages to escape a group of assassins in her London office and ends up in Siberia. With a completely serious tone, she comments, “I don’t like the vibe of this at all.” Indeed, it’s hard not to agree. This scene may not have been intended to be comical, but it still leaves you wishing that director J.C. Chandor and the writers had injected a bit more self-aware humor into this convoluted Marvel villain origin tale.