As the credits rolled on Sony’s Kraven the Hunter, ostensibly the last entry in Sony’s Spider-Man-less universe, all I could think about was that this movie would’ve been a success in 2004. Against all odds, I quite enjoyed Kraven the Hunter, going into it with low expectations and being mostly entertained throughout the film’s 120-plus minutes. It’s a rough movie, for sure, largely because it seems to be at war with itself over what it should be. However, it’s undeniable that it has the same “this is remarkably stupid, but I can sort of dig it” quality that made films like 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2009’s Watchmen so enjoyable.
And yet, it feels woefully out of place in 2024, to the point where you sometimes can’t actually believe something so dated was actually greenlit, let alone shot and sent into the world. But I truly believe there’s value in the mess that is Kraven the Hunter. Sure, it’s a movie that is uneven, but it’s far from the worst way of spending two hours on a lazy afternoon. And while it’s not making any best-of-2024 lists any time soon, I believe Kraven the Hunter is more than entertaining enough if you think about it as an ode to the comic book movies of the mid-2000s.
Freaky little men doing freaky little things
If I had to describe Kraven the Hunter in any way, that’s exactly how I’d do it. It’s a movie full of freaky actors doing silly things and saying silly lines. Sure, it’s never as silly as it should be, but it’s silly enough to make you chuckle a few times, often intentionally. Yes, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is a hunk with a stereotypically attractive look. However, his most highly regarded turns, from Dave Lizewski in Kick-Ass to Ray Marcus in Nocturnal Animals (for which he actually won a Golden Globe), have him embracing his darker, awkward, and more off-putting side. Kraven keeps him as a straightforward action man, and Taylor-Johnson does admirably, but you can often see a glimmer of the freak within, and it’s a shame he isn’t allowed to let it out.
As for his supporting cast, it’s a who’s who of indie actor outsiders. There’s Sanctuary‘s Christopher Abbott as the Foreigner doing what he does best: stealing scenes and being a little freak; there’s Thelma‘s Fred Hechinger as Dmitri Smerdyakov, Kraven’s half-brother with the ability to mimic voices (I kid you not, the film’s funniest transition goes from a seemingly serious scene to Hechinger lip-syncing to Harry Styles’ Sign of the Times, which is far funnier than it sounds). Then there’s Oscar winner Russell Crowe as Kraven and Dmitri’s father, Nikolai Kravinoff. Ever a game actor, Crowe goes all-in, speaking with a thick, yet highly fluctuating Russian accent and really selling the “dastardly, yet one-dimensional Russian mobster” schtick like few others can.
However, the highlight is definitely Alessandro Nivola as the film’s main villain, Aleksei Sytsevich, aka The Rhino. There’s scenery chewing, and then there’s what Nivola is doing in Kraven the Hunter. This is Gary-Oldman-in-The-Professional levels of unhinged, and Nivola is delivering. It takes a really gifted actor to be this ridiculous and remain engaging without becoming obnoxious. Nivola has been around for a while — that’s him as Nicolas Cage’s brother, Pollux, in 1997’s action camp delight Face/Off. If any actor qualifies as being “underrated,” it’s Nivola, and while Kraven the Hunter won’t elevate him onto the A-list, it’s yet another example of just how much of an accomplished character actor he is.
Hunter or prey?
The main issue holding back Kraven the Hunter from truly being a great mid-2000s movie — other than, you know, being released in 2024 — is, unfortunately, J.C. Chandor. The director, who proved his considerable talent in early 2010s gems like Margin Call and A Most Violent Year, is woefully out of his comfort zone with this comic book property. Chandor tries to ground the plot by focusing on a few compelling ideas — a broken crime family struggling with the meaning of legacy, a hunter seeking revenge for humanity’s mistreatment of nature, and a young man fighting his inner animal (literally). However, there’s only so much grounding he can do with such a silly screenplay.
It doesn’t help that Chandor seems to be the only one interested in doing a version of Kraven more in line with today’s sensibilities. The cast seems to be on the same page about the type of movie they want to do, and it’s not the one Chandor is aiming for. Taylor-Johnson, Hechinger, Abbott, Crowe, and Nivola all range from over the top to bordering camp, instantly clashing with Chandor’s more stoic and gritty approach. One second, the screenplay has Crowe delivering the most by-the-numbers bad guy speech, and the next, Chandor is ripping off Gladiator while an overly dramatic score plays. Admittedly, the director brings great style to the film. The action scenes are also, for the most part, quite solid. The highlight is the extended car chase through London, where Taylor-Johnson goes full berserk. It’s probably the closest thing to Chandor’s vision for the film, but Kraven the Hunter was just not the right IP for that.
Moreover, whatever gravitas Chandor tries to bring into the mix goes out the window once Nivola’s character transforms into The Rhino during the film’s third act. There’s simply no way to do a grounded or, dare I say, dignified version of The Rhino, a strong contender for Marvel Comics’ silliest villain. Aleksei Sytsevich has always been one of the most dim-witted and absurd Spider-Man foes, depicted as either having the skin of a rhino, wearing a rhino suit, or using rhino-themed armor — the common denominator here is that they’re all stupid.
Too little, too late
As it stands, Kraven the Hunter is an entertaining movie released about 20 years too late. It would make a perfect double feature with Tim Story’s Fantastic Four. Both movies are simple-minded and undemanding, enjoyable enough to warrant a watch, yet also instantly forgettable. Unlike Story’s duology, however, Kraven the Hunter shoots a bit too high, biting off far more than it can chew. Realistically speaking, this movie, like so many others in Sony’s misguided Spider-Man-less universe, shouldn’t have existed in the first place. However, it does, and you know what? It could’ve been much worse.
Still, reviews have not been kind to it; the film currently has an embarrassingly low 15% on Rotten Tomatoes and is tracking to earn a paltry $15 million domestically during its opening weekend. However, I’m fairly certain Kraven the Hunter will find success — you guessed it — on Netflix once it hits the streamer, and considering these numbers, it’ll be sooner rather than later. Perhaps Kraven the Hunter will find a new life on the small screen; it won’t be enough to give it a sequel, but maybe it will get Taylor-Johnson a role in 2032’s Spider-Man: Home Depot or something. As for the film itself, it will become one of those gems you watch when you start missing your youthful days of the noughties. So what if it was released in 2024? It still counts, or at least it should.
Kraven the Hunter is currently playing in theaters worldwide.
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