Review: Kraven The Hunter
Villains Aren't Born. They're Made.
INTRODUCTION
This is a quick review of the newly released film Kraven The Hunter. Keep in mind this is but one of the many movies I watch every year, and that whatever initial grade I come up for this film could change for better or worse with time. To better keep up to date with both my thoughts on other movies and if my feelings on this film changed, follow me on Letterboxd.
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THE PLOT
Via Letterboxd: Sergei Kravinoff is a big game hunter, who takes a magical serum giving him superhuman abilities and a longer life.
QUICK REVIEW
I’ve never been able to fully embrace Sony’s non-Spider-Man films. All three Venom movies struck me as mediocre at best, Morbius was an outright disaster, and this year’s Madame Web is, in my opinion, one of the worst comic book films ever made. With this franchise seemingly drawing to a close, I hoped Kraven the Hunter might surprise me. Unfortunately, before I could even entertain that hope, early reviews began rolling in, some even going as far as labeling it the worst film of the year.
Still, as a reviewer, and someone who occasionally finds merit in divisive blockbusters, I gave it a chance on a Friday afternoon.
Sadly, I have to report that Kraven the Hunter is a serious contender for the title of worst film in this now-dead cinematic universe. While I’ll acknowledge that it features more interesting characters and subplots (at least on paper) than Madame Web, the movie collapses under the weight of its deeply flawed execution - which fails at every conceivable level of filmmaking.
It’s astonishing that this film was directed by J.C. Chandor, the same filmmaker behind the great movies A Most Violent Year and Triple Frontier. Equally shocking is the involvement of Oscar-winning talents like Russell Crowe and Ariana DeBose. Unfortunately, DeBose delivers what is easily the worst performance of her career, and i’m not sure how much to criticize her for it or the material. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, fresh off a spectacular supporting turn in Nosferatu, is another casualty of the material’s shortcomings. Even Fred Hechinger, who’s had an otherwise solid year, is trapped in this mess.
The acting across the board is lackluster, but that’s just the beginning. The cinematography makes me reconsider my complaints about Wicked’s, while the visual effects are among the worst I’ve seen this year from a major studio. The sound mixing is laughably bad, with obvious ADR issues plaguing much of the dialogue. As for the action sequences? They’re utterly uninspired and fail to evoke any emotion.
On paper, Kraven the Hunter should have been an exciting, larger-than-life blockbuster - an action-adventure filled with romantic tension, colorful villains, and thrilling action set pieces. Instead, it feels like Sony simply gave up, shoving this movie out the door without even attempting to salvage it in the editing room - and they had a long post-production timeline to do so! There are scenes where it’s glaringly obvious that different takes were stitched together, creating a jarring, disjointed experience that anyone with eyes and ears should have known needed to be fixed.
Typically, when my fellow critics harshly criticize big blockbusters, I find myself wondering what all the fuss is about. Gladiator II remains one of my favorite films of the year. I enjoyed Deadpool and Wolverine as a fun ride. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire remains my most entertaining cinematic experience this year. Even The Fall Guy and Killer’s Game delivered solid action-comedy escapism. But Kraven the Hunter? I can’t muster any defense for this.
Maybe die hard fans of the character will find something to appreciate in finally seeing him on the big screen. But for everyone else planning an excursion to their local theatres this weekend, I’d recommend just rewatching Gladiator II or Wicked instead of wasting two hours on this.
I give Kraven The Hunter an initial grade of D+. If nothing else, this could eventually join Madame Web as a cult favorite for those who love to laugh at, and riff on bad movies.
INITIAL GRADING
