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

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As a long-time comic book enthusiast and moviegoer who’s been through the rollercoaster of superhero movies since their inception, I must say that “Kraven the Hunter” left me somewhat underwhelmed, but not entirely disappointed.

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.

Instead of eagerly chasing any animal to mount its head on his wall, Kraven finds this practice distasteful, particularly when his father targets a lion that’s been difficult to bring down. Consequently, Kraven turns into a hunter of villains, showing a preference for poachers but also tracking down drug dealers and gun runners whenever necessary.

In the initial scenes of “Kraven the Hunter,” we encounter him in a Russian prison where he has a personal vendetta against a man who floods the streets with guns. It’s unclear how this man maintains his empire from behind bars, but Kraven eventually tracks him down. The narrative then shifts back to Sergei’s childhood, where his father had killed a lion in error. Believing that Sergei would be pleased by the kill, his father was mistaken. Instead, Sergei was enraged and deeply saddened by his mother’s recent death. This grief led him to leave his hometown and reside on his mother’s land in Russia. He only visited his brother, Dmitri, in London on special occasions, such as birthdays. However, one of these visits coincided with The Rhino kidnapping Dmitri to frame Kraven. But The Rhino soon discovers that Kraven is not so easily defeated.

Kraven the Hunter has a big casting issue

There are additional aspects to this story, yet they aren’t particularly profound – and that’s alright! It’s not surprising since we aren’t anticipating a lot from a film titled “Kraven the Hunter.” However, one aspect of the movie caught my attention and made me hesitate: Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Since he was the main character in “Godzilla” a decade ago, I haven’t been his biggest admirer. To clarify, he shines in secondary roles, particularly when he can bring a touch of oddity – but I don’t usually enjoy him as the primary actor. In this movie, I found it to be more of the same performance from him.

He made a passable Kraven — he obviously worked to look the part and he can hit his marks — but he still doesn’t bring much personality to the role, and the other players are all more interesting. Plus, Taylor-Johnson makes things like ducking down to stroke a bad guy’s tiger rug look cheesy instead of cool. Other people playing this scene would make it their own, either leaning into the cheese or finding a way to make it menacing, but Taylor-Johnson just makes it puzzling. This is the biggest problem I had with the film.

The film “Kraven the Hunter,” although not flawless overall, doesn’t excel in every aspect. The story penned by Richard Wenk, with screenplay contributions from Wenk, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway, isn’t outstanding. It tends to complicate matters unnecessarily while leaving out crucial details, such as the backstory of the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott) – they provide a few essential facts but fail to fully reveal everything we’re eager to learn. Similarly, the film leaves us guessing about Kraven’s mother’s fate – was she murdered by Nikolai or did she take her own life? There are suggestions of more, but these intriguing aspects remain undisclosed, even though the movie spans over two hours. It seems as if director J.C. Chandor came close to fully exploring these elements but ultimately decided against it at the last moment.

Still, there are positives

In spite of some criticisms, there are numerous commendable aspects in “Kraven the Hunter.” One such aspect is Fred Hechinger’s exceptional performance as Dmitri, the younger son of Kraven. Hechinger excels in his portrayal of an underdog character and it becomes clear why he makes certain choices within the storyline. Another praiseworthy element is Russell Crowe’s portrayal of Nikolai. Nikolai is a repugnant character with excessive toxic masculinity and a stubborn refusal to listen to either of his sons, yet Crowe delivers a convincing performance in this role.

In a simplified manner, it could be rephrased as: Ariana DeBose and Alessandro Nivola aren’t given strong roles in the script. After her performance in “West Side Story,” DeBose seems to struggle with the choices she makes for her roles, and this one is no exception. And Nivola finds himself burdened by his portrayal of The Rhino, which, although more comedically accurate than Paul Giamatti in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” still appears quite ridiculous.

What I find most captivating about this movie is its exploration of animal protection. Though Kraven may not be traditionally considered a conservationist, he stands as an ally to animals, fighting off harmful individuals on their behalf. I can identify with that stance, even if it’s clear that many of the animals in this film are computer-generated. However, not everyone might share my sentiment. Furthermore, those who recognize Kraven as a comic book villain may still feel let down. “Kraven the Hunter” isn’t a complete flop in terms of comic book adaptations, but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of greatness either. Instead, it seems to fit comfortably within our current era of superheroes and more.

“Kraven the Hunter” comes to theaters on December 13.

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2024-12-11 23:30