Kraven the Hunter (2024)

Kraven The Hunter (2024) “Sergei Kravinoff, a Russian immigrant, is on a mission to prove he’s the world’s greatest hunter.” When you read that, you don’t necessarily suspect that it’s another Marvel movie!

I don’t think I’ve ever watched any of J.C. Chandor films, because none of them interested me. But there’s a good chance this is the worst one he’s made.

As for British actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, he’d already appeared in bad films like Ch@troom (2010), which nonetheless had a very interesting concept. The beginning and the end are fine, but the in-between is more than dubious. Aaron is no stranger to superhero movies, having starred in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and reprised the same role in Avengers 2 – Age of Ultron (2015).

His breakthrough came in 2009, at the age of 19, in Nowhere Boy (2009), in which he played John Lennon outright! He made a string of films and gained notoriety the same year with Kick-Ass (2010), which was followed by Kick-Ass 2 (2013). Five years later, in January 2017, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the thriller Nocturnal Animals (2016).

In short! We’re keeping up the momentum! We’re continuing with the idea of making the villains look like heroes while showing their more human side. And we could always go further back. I often think of Darth Vader. Before Star Wars Episodes 1, 2 and 3, he was seen as one of the ultimate great villains in the history of cinema. But by showing what happened to him, we come to pity him and even understand him.

DC, which in many people’s eyes is the most interesting and the most mature… unfortunately missed out again with The Joker 2.

There’s no denying that Marvel are ahead of the game. I’m not talking about whether you like them or not, whether you prefer them or not. I’m just talking about the fact that Marvel prepared well, started early and carefully linked all the films of the last few decades together. DC screwed up on Superman VS Batman, made a Justice League without making a Flash or Cyborg movie, screwed up big time with Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey… and the list goes on for those who already count from Batman 3 and 4 in the 90s.

Here, we’re having fun with Spider-Man spin-offs. After Venom (2018), Venom 2 (2021), Venom 3 (2024), Morbius (2022), Madame Web (2024), here’s Kraven!

Just like that, these films give me the creeps! We’re continuing to destroy the Superhero universe, which took decades to create on paper, with the help of insipid films.

Venom was a good bit of fun. But the real Venom is the one in Sam Raimi’s trilogy. When we saw Carnage in the second one, he was underused, even though he’s one of the most interesting and terrifying villains.
Morbius was lucky to have Jared Leto as an actor, but once again his potential was squandered, as with his Joker in Suicide Squad. And Madame Web is a disaster, with a script created by AI.

Here, as I said, we’re continuing on our current path. Kraven isn’t going to save the day. Another film with an interesting first half-hour. But…Overexaggerated, we don’t believe for a second in the poorly done fights. Whether it’s between Kraven and humans, Kraven and animals, Kraven and Super-Villains…
No, really!

It’s almost as if Russell Crowe is appearing in this film because Gladiator 2 was released and he doesn’t want to be forgotten. Especially given that the first made him an international star. He’s clearly not going to be remembered here!

The special effects are surprisingly poorly done. And when the lawyer also puts on her warrior outfit, it’s almost a total let-down. Mostly because it’s so badly done. We didn’t pay any attention to credibility. We just thought ‘It’s another Marvel movie, no one will notice, no one’s watching, anyway…’.

I’m wondering: who will enjoy this film?
Teenagers? Because it’s too brutal for children. If they see this film, they’ll be sticking their compasses into their friends’ necks, jumping on tables in class, then out of windows, growling and screaming wildly.

For adults, this will be a film for kids. Comic book fans are going to be disappointed, except for the more open-minded who might let anything slide.

That said, let’s not forget that Kraven isn’t the worst villain either. He’s been through a lot, especially with his father, he’s capable of love, of falling in love and, above all, he’s one of the people who helped Spider-Man when he was transformed into an uncontrollable destructive giant spider.

My Rating