Kraven the Hunter is a messy and boring action “film” that suffers from one of the most exposition-heavy scripts that wastes the talent of the director and actors.

Barely three months have passed since the surprisingly pleasant but passable Venom: The Last Dance, and Sony is already turning out another film in their version of the Spider-Man villain multiverse. The word, inconsistent, is put lightly when describing these groups of films. The latest edition, Kraven the Hunter, seemingly gives some hope when you consider who is in front and behind the camera. The film is directed by J.C. Chandor, the mind behind quite excellent films such as Margin Call and All is Lost, as well as the criminally underrated A Most Violent Year. Leading the cast in the titular role of Kraven, aka Sergei Kravinoff is the talented Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who has previously received a Golden Globe and BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Nocturnal Animals. Joining him onscreen are Academy Award winners Russell Crowe as Kraven’s father, Nikolai Kravinoff, and the lovely Ariana DeBose as Calypso Ezili, a voodoo priestess. At first glance, seeing these names along with the film being rated-R, one would think they would be in for a fun action film with talented actors and sharply edited fight scenes. If one goes into watching this film and expecting it to be so bad, it borderlines being an enjoyably-camp experience, then yes, they will have fun. Every other mindset will leave viewers watching the film equivalent of staring at an exam they didn’t study for and becoming so frustrated, they can’t resist their own desire to tear their hair out. 

Kraven plummets us right in the middle of a hunt our titular character is partaking in. Taylor-Johnson is undeniably physically attractive and it is no different here. In fact, his muscles deserve their own credits at the end. Right out of the gate, Taylor-Johnson sets out to establish an intimidating stage presence through his physicality by running off walls or even carrying himself on all-fours like an animal. The opening is popcorn fun and at times, a blast. Everything else that proceeds this opening is as dull as watching paint dry due to this horrendous script. With as much deserved criticism audiences gave M. Night Shyamalan for his exposition-heavy script in The Last Airbender, the same criticisms should be leveled at screenwriters of Kraven. 

This screenplay is a mess. Chandor is doing everything he can in the director’s chair to work around it, but unfortunately it’s an impossible task. The dialogue is beyond cheesy and choppy and none of these talented actors are able to escape it. Interestingly, the ADR for Kraven is so presently bad, seeing how this film came to be in the cutting room might be more entertaining than the final product released in theaters. If there was an award given to a film with the most frequent use of dubbing (and poorly implemented at that), this would win in a landslide. 

It is extremely difficult to not feel sympathy for the actors in this. Taylor-Johnson has proven himself to be a very talented actor in plenty of films that showcase his wide range of gifts such as Kick-Ass, The Fall Guy, and Nosferatu (coming out later this year). His muscles are doing a lot here to make up for the extremely boring performance he is giving. Equally as dull is DeBose. After she deservedly won the Academy-Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Steven Spielberg’s criminally underrated remake of West Side Story, DeBose has been choosing very different film projects to challenge her talent as an actress beyond the acclaimed musical theater parts she is known for. While commendable in her desire to do varying genres, this film is not in the slightest challenging her. In fact, her character suffers the most with the amount of exposition she is given, it’s a wonder DeBose manages to make these sentences digestible at all. On the plus side, she and Taylor-Johnson both look incredible in this film, with her character’s outfits being quite eye-catching. Crowe, to be quite frank, is phoning it in, and that’s as much of a sentence regarding his performance one can muster upon watching. 

There’s not much else to say about this mess of a film. Again, if you go in expecting anything decent, you will leave frustrated. The best recommendation is to go in knowing you’re going to see something so unbelievably bad, you may find yourself laughing at the absurdity.

Grade: D-

Oscar Prospects:
Likely: None
Should Be Considered: None

Where to Watch: In Theaters