Aaron Taylor-Johnson reprises his role in comic books, taking on his second Marvel Comics character in the film "Kraven the Hunter," produced by Columbia Pictures. The film is directed by J.C. Chandor, who works from a screenplay authored by Richard Wenk in collaboration with the writing team of Art Marcum and Matt Holloway.
"Kraven the Hunter" is the sixth film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) that explores the complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the most excellent hunter in the world but also one of its most feared.
The supporting cast includes Oscar winner Ariana DeBose as Calypso Ezili, a voodoo priestess and Kraven's confidant. Fred Heching plays Dmitri Smerdyakov, Kraven's half-brother and a master of voice imitations. Alessandro Nivola portrays Aleksei Sytsevich, aka Rhino, a Russian mercenary capable of transforming into a human-rhino hybrid. Christopher Abbott takes on the role of the Foreigner, a skilled mercenary and assassin.
As comic enthusiasts recognize, the character of Kraven the Hunter has undergone a protracted journey to adaptation on screen. Initially, Sam Raimi intended to feature Kraven in his fourth "Spider-Man" film. Furthermore, Ryan Coogler wanted to incorporate this character into his Marvel Cinematic Universe film "Black Panther," inspired by a notable confrontation between Black Panther and Kraven in Christopher Priest's highly regarded run on the "Black Panther" comic series.
Similar to the final "Venom" film and "Madame Web," "Kraven the Hunter" has been met with negative word of mouth due to the reshoots, but as a fan of director J.C. Chandor's directing style, I kept an open mind. So, how does the final result deliver?
For the most part, "Kraven the Hunter" delivers what you would expect from an anti-hero who hunts criminals. The film's script opens by showing us Kraven in action; we then go into his origin before returning to the present day. Johnson makes for a solid lead that delivers the right mix of action, athleticism, and one-liners. Rusell Crowe is also solid and always enjoys hamming the material up.
Ariana DeBose is here for a check, and one particular dialogue delivery was met with some laughter from my preview audience. Alessandro Nivola was also trying hard as one of our primary antagonists. Thankfully, Christopher Abbott is more remarkable than a fan in his role, as was Fred Hechinger, who has a nice setup for possible future installments.
"Kraven the Hunter" also delivers the goods on the violence front, watching our titular character pick off evil-doers one by one. The action sequences alone make up for some of the script's pitfalls and the pacing. However, as reflected in the final edit, the studio and director weren't on the same page.
Long and short there, while Aaron Taylor -Johnson makes for a solid "Kraven." Sadly, I don't see the film breaking any box records, so this may be the last time we see the character on screen.
Final Grade: C+
"Kraven The Hunter" opens in theaters tomorrow.
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