Kraven: The Hunter
★ ★
The opening sequence shows Sergei Karvinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), aka Kraven the Hunter, infiltrating a high-security Russian prison to eliminate a crime boss known for human trafficking, drug trafficking and arms dealing. Sergei has no fears about being amongst other prisoners, easily fending off an attack in the exercise yard. He can clearly handle himself.
The crime boss, Semyan Chorney (Yuri Kolokolnikov), has his own office inside the prison and guards who protect him. It takes Sergei little effort to infiltrate Seyman’s office, murder him and escape the prison. This is where we get a sense of Sergei’s comic book super powers. He can move fast, climb walls, dodge bullets and brave the extreme cold.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff aka Kraven
© 2024 Columbia Pictures
After killing Semyman, we’re treated to a lengthy backstory 16 years prior. Sergei and his brother Dimitri (Fred Hechinger) learn that their mother has passed when their father, another crime boss called Nickolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), picks them up from their private school. He takes them to his private jet and whisks them off to Africa for a hunting expedition to toughen them up and get their minds off their mom’s death.
While there, Sergei is mauled by a larger-than-average lion. Nickolai fires several rounds at the lion before it takes off, carrying Sergei away in its mouth.
A woman, Calypso Ezili (Ariana DeBose), skilled in some sort of mystical magic involving tarot cards and potions, happens across the lion before it devours Sergei. The blood from the lion’s wounds drips into one of Sergei’s wounds. The lion backs away from Calypso and leaves. She feeds a potion to Sergei and we’re treated to a CGI sequence of cells and DNA changing, morphing and rearranging their structures. Presumably, Calypso’s potion allows the lion’s DNA to morph with Sergei’s and give him super powers, such as super strength and the ability to scale walls and jump really high.
Kraven tries to stop a helicopter from taking off
© 2024 Columbia Pictures
From here, Sergei will teach himself how to use his new powers and hunt down poachers that kill wildebeests only for their horns. Later, he’ll have to track down kidnappers who nab Dimitri. The kidnappers send Dimitri’s severed finger to Nickolai with a 48-hour ransom demand, which he has no intention of paying.
This will lead Sergei to battle another crime boss, Aleksei Sysevitch (Alessandro Nivola), aka The Rhino with animalistic super powers of his own.
Russell Crowe and Levi Miller
© 2024 Columbia Pictures
What we have here is a very convoluted script, with the most basic of plots, routine dialogue and ho-hum action sequences. There are a lot of promising elements in the film that are never fleshed out. The actors aren’t given much to work with and do their best with the material.
The result is a sub-par super hero action film that fails to separate itself from the cinematic comic book fatigue, a result from an oversaturation of these films in recent years.
There’s just not enough meat on the bones here. The producers should have hunted down a better script.
Running Time: 2h 7m
Directed by: J.C. Chandor
Written by: Richard Wenk, Art Marcum, Matt Holloway
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana Debose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe
Action, Adventure
