What’s It About
Russian immigrant Sergei Kravinoff is on a mission to prove that he is the greatest hunter in the world.
MOVIESinMO REVIEW
Let’s be real – Sony’s Spider-Verse hasn’t exactly been crushing it lately. Between the disaster that was “Morbius” and the cringe-fest of “Venom,” expectations were pretty low for “Kraven the Hunter.” But surprise, surprise – this movie actually kind of rocks. Aaron Taylor-Johnson plays Sergei Kravinoff, and he’s not your typical comic book hero. This guy is just an extreme hunter you can think of, with a story that’s both sad and totally insane. Okay, so like, when he was a kid, he survived a lion attack that nearly killed him, and got some weird magic potion that makes him super strong, like a killing machine or something. Sounds stupid, but it does the job. The story is just this insane stew of family stuff and revenge. Kraven’s trying to save his brother Dmitri, who’s been kidnapped by this crazy villain called Rhino (played by Alessandro Nivola, who’s absolutely killing it). Russell Crowe shows up as Kraven’s dad, and holy wow, does he steal every single scene he’s in. The way he says “weakness” is so extra that you can’t help but be entertained. Ariana DeBose plays Calypso, a lawyer with some seriously mysterious magical skills. She’s the one who gave Kraven his superhuman abilities as a kid, which is just weird enough to be interesting. And then there’s Christopher Abbott as the Foreigner – a villain who can literally bend time. Because why not, right? Director J.C. Chandor knows exactly what kind of movie he’s making. It’s not trying to be some deep, meaningful superhero epic; it’s just pure, unapologetic action with a cast totally committed to the absolute madness of it all. The fight scenes are brutal, the dialogue is over the top, and Taylor-Johnson moves like he was born to play this role. Is it a perfect movie? Absolutely not. There are plot holes big enough to drive a truck through. Like, how does a guy living off the grid in rural Russia manage to have a working cellphone? And what exactly are the limits of Kraven’s superpowers? The movie doesn’t really care about those details, and honestly, neither should you. What makes “Kraven the Hunter” work is its pure, chaotic energy. It’s the kind of movie you’ll totally watch on a lazy weekend and end up weirdly loving. The cast is so good that they elevate what could have been a total trainwreck into something genuinely entertaining. For comic book fans, this isn’t the Kraven you know from the comics. He’s not the pure villain constantly hunting Spider-Man. Instead, he’s a complex antihero who’s more about survival and family than pure evil. And that actually makes him way more interesting. Bottom line? Lower your expectations, grab some popcorn, and just enjoy the ride. “Kraven the Hunter” is the kind of movie that knows exactly what it is – a totally bonkers, action-packed adventure that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
OUR RATING – AN UNHINGED 5