As the credit rolled on Sony’sKraven the Hunter , ostensiblythe last entry in Sony ’s Spider - Man - less universe , all I could reckon about was that this movie would ’ve been a success in 2004 . Against all odds , I quite enjoyedKraven the Hunter , going into it with low expectations and being mostly entertained throughout the motion-picture show ’s 120 - plus minute . It ’s a rough movie , for sure , largely because it seems to be at warfare with itself over what it should be . However , it ’s undeniable that it has the same “ this is signally stupefied , but I can sort of dig it ” timber that made picture like 2005’sFantastic Fourand 2009’sWatchmenso enjoyable .
And yet , it feels woefully out of place in 2024 , to the point where you sometimes ca n’t really consider something so dated was actually greenlit , permit alone shot and ship into the world . But I sincerely believe there ’s note value in the mess that isKraven the Hunter . Sure , it ’s a movie that is uneven , but it ’s far from the worst direction of spending two 60 minutes on a lazy good afternoon . And while it ’s not making any honorable - of-2024 lists any time soon , I believeKraven the Hunteris more than entertaining enough if you guess about it as an ode to the comical Koran movies of the mid-2000s .
Freaky little men doing freaky little things
If I had to describeKraven the Hunterin any way , that ’s incisively how I ’d do it . It ’s a movie full of freaky actors doing silly matter and saying silly line . certainly , it ’s never as dizzy as itshouldbe , but it ’s punch-drunk enough to make you chuckle a few time , often designedly . Yes , Aaron Taylor - Johnson is a hunk with a stereotypically attractive look . However , his most extremely regarded turns , from Dave Lizewski inKick - Assto Ray Marcus inNocturnal Animals(for which he really won a Golden Globe ) , have him embracing his darker , awkward , and more off - putting side . Kravenkeeps him as a straightforward action serviceman , and Taylor - Johnson does laudably , but you may often see a inkling of the addict within , and it ’s a shame he is n’t permit to get it out .
As for his patronage cast , it ’s a who ’s who of indie actor outsider . There’sSanctuary‘s Christopher Abbott as the Foreigner doing what he does best : steal scenes and being a petty freak ; there’sThelma‘s Fred Hechinger as Dmitri Smerdyakov , Kraven ’s half - blood brother with the ability to mimic voices ( I kid you not , the film ’s funniest transition goes from a seemingly serious scene to Hechinger sass - syncing to Harry Styles’Sign of the Times , which is far shady than it sounds ) . Then there ’s Oscar winnerRussell Croweas Kraven and Dmitri ’s father , Nikolai Kravinoff . Ever a game actor , Crowe move 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 highlighting is definitely Alessandro Nivola as the moving-picture show ’s main villain , Aleksei Sytsevich , aka The Rhino . There ’s scenery manducate , and then there ’s what Nivola is doing inKraven the Hunter . This isGary - Oldman - in - The - Professionallevels of unhinged , and Nivola isdelivering . It takes a really talented actor to be this ridiculous and remain engaging without becoming objectionable . Nivola has been around for a while — that ’s him as Nicolas Cage ’s brother , Pollux , in1997 ’s action camp delightFace / Off . If any actor qualify as being “ underrated , ” it ’s Nivola , and whileKraven the Hunterwon’t upgrade him onto the A - list , it ’s yet another model of just how much of an realized character player he is .
Hunter or prey?
The independent issue hold backKraven the Hunterfrom truly being a great mid-2000s film — other than , you know , being released in 2024 — is , regrettably , J.C. Chandor . The director , who show his considerable talent in other 2010s gems likeMargin CallandA Most Violent Year , is deplorably out of his comfort zone with this comic book holding . Chandor tries to ground the plot by focusing on a few compelling thought — a broken offense category fight with the meaning of bequest , a hunter seeking revenge for humanness ’s mistreatment of nature , and a untried humanity fighting his inner creature ( literally ) . However , there ’s only so much foundation he can do with such a silly screenplay .
It does n’t help that Chandor seems to be the only one interested in doing a version of Kraven more in melody with today ’s sensibility . The cast seems to be on the same Sir Frederick Handley Page about the character of moving-picture show they desire to do , and it ’s not the one Chandor is calculate for . Taylor - Johnson , Hechinger , Abbott , Crowe , and Nivola all stray from over the top to frame camp , instantly clashing with Chandor ’s more stoical and gritty approach . One moment , the screenplay has Crowe delivering the most by - the - numbers tough guy lecture , and the next , Chandor is pull offGladiatorwhile an overly striking sexual conquest play . avowedly , the director bring in great elan to the moving-picture show . The action scene are also , for the most part , quite solid . The highlight is the extended railroad car following through London , where Taylor - Johnson goes full berserk . It ’s probably the closest affair to Chandor ’s imagination for the film , but Kraven the Hunter was just not the right information processing for that .
Moreover , whatever lordliness Chandor seek to bring in into the mix goes out the window once Nivola ’s character transforms into The Rhino during the moving picture ’s third turn . There ’s simply no way to do a grounded or , make bold I say , dignified interlingual rendition 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 enemy , show as either having the skin of a rhino , wear a rhinoceros lawsuit , or using rhino - theme armour — the common denominator here is that they ’re all stupid .
Too little, too late
As it stands , Kraven the Hunteris an entertaining movie free about 20 years too late . It would make a perfect bivalent feature film withTim Story’sFantastic Four . Both moving-picture show are simple - minded and undemanding , enjoyable enough to warrant a scout , yet also in a flash forgettable . Unlike narrative ’s duology , however , Kraven the Huntershoots a bit too high-pitched , sting off far more than it can chew . Realistically speaking , this movie , like so many others inSony ’s misguided Spider - Man - less universe , should n’t have exist in the first spot . However , it does , and you have it away what ? It could ’ve been much speculative .
Still , review have not been kind to it ; the film presently has an embarrassingly low15 % on Rotten Tomatoesand is tracking to earna paltry $ 15 milliondomestically during its opening weekend . However , I ’m fairly certainKraven the Hunterwill find achiever — you opine it — on Netflix once it hits the banner , and think these numbers , it ’ll be sooner rather than later . PerhapsKraven the Hunterwill find a new life on the small screen ; it wo n’t be enough to give it a sequel , but perchance it will get Taylor - Johnson a role in 2032’sSpider - humans : Home Depotor something . As for the film itself , it will become one of those gems you watch when you start overleap your youthful day of the noughties . So what if it was released in 2024 ? It still count , or at least it should .
Kraven the Hunteris currentlyplaying in theatre worldwide .
