I’m not “Kraven” for a rewatch. This movie was the final nail in the coffin which was once the Sony Spider-Man Universe. 

Plot

Kraven’s complex relationship with his ruthless father starts him down a path of vengeance, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.

Review

Aaron Taylor-Johnson doesn’t disappoint in the titular role in Kraven the Hunter and delivers an excellent performance as Kraven. We get to see appearances by Russell Crowe and Fred Hechinger as Nikolai Kravinoff and Dmitri Kravinoff respectively and collectively deliver a great performance as the villainous Kravinoff family. Alessandro Nivola plays the role of Aleksei Sytsevich and it was nice to see a different take on the Rhino persona.

Aaron really portrays the character well and the R-rating is definitely fitting for the movie. Some scenes are quite intense. I really would have liked to see Kraven feature in the broad Marvel Cinematic Universe fighting Spider-Man or even challenging the likes of Punisher.

I rate Kraven the Hunter a 2 out of 5. While there are many action scenes in the movie, it remains a Marvel movie and as such there are many factors that are considered when unpacking the production. Kraven is yet another hero who was an excellent villain in the greater scheme of Marvel, considering the rivalry Kraven had with Spider-Man. There is no golden thread to the bigger Sony Spider-Man Universe. It makes it feel like just another random standalone movie in the universe which begs the question “Did we really need Kraven the Hunter?”. Also, even though Kraven the Hunter is part and parcel of the Sony Spider-Man Universe, there is no actual appearance or even reference to Spider-Man, which is really dissapointing. While we are being blessed with various cameos in this movie, we are not seeing the characters who matter and with no actual link between the other entries in the Sony Spider-Man Universe the golden thread is broken. The big villain in the story, Rhino was handled differently in terms of design when compared to previous spider-Man entries such as The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but as a major villain, Rhino was made extinct too quickly in the movie. Lastly, there is no post-credits scene at the end, so no need to wait till the end. This is giving the message that there may no longer be any future productions in the Sony Spider-Man Universe. Could the Sony Spider-Man Universe be dead at this point? Have we finally reached the end of Sony’s Marvel Universe?

Here is the trailer of Kraven the Hunter (Marvel Entertainment). Catch at a cinema near you. The movie is available in IMAX at select cinemas in Cape Town, South Africa.

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