Kraven the Hunter: Another Comic Book Outing Off the Assembly Line (Blu-ray)

The Film:

Now we come to the supposed end of the Sony Spider-Man Universe with "Kraven the Hunter," a film centering on another lesser-known character among the collection available to them. As noted previously, these films have had a rough time when it came to their critical reception, with only the three "Venom" films proving to be successes at the box office, despite the reviews. When it came to "Kraven the Hunter," a delay of nearly two years from the original release date certainly didn't help put anyone's mind at ease as far as how it was going to turn out, but with director J.C. Chandor believing audiences would be surprised by it, comic book fans simply crossed their fingers and hoped for the best. Could his vision for this character be the one to finally deliver a satisfying experience in this troubled series of films, or is it doomed to take its place beside the others as a final, misguided stumble?

As the film opens, we witness Kraven/Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) use his unique skills to infiltrate a Russian prison and execute a major arms dealer. We then flash back to his childhood where, after the death of his mother, his crime boss father Nikolai (Russell Crowe) takes him on a hunting trip with his brother Dmitri. Sergei is attacked by a lion and nearly killed, but is saved by a young woman named Calypso, who uses a special serum to revive him. The serum also grants him his special powers, which he begins to use to hunt down criminals like the arms dealer from the start of the film.

In present day, Sergei is visiting Dmitri (Fred Hechinger) for his birthday when the latter is kidnapped by mercenaries and held for a $20 million ransom. Nikolai refuses to pay it, forcing Sergei to enlist the help of Calypso (Ariana DeBose) to track down who's responsible, leading to a confrontation with a pair of deadly adversaries that just might be too much for the great hunter to handle.

As mentioned, Kraven is one of those characters that most people (at least those not well-versed in comic book lore) don't know much about, or might not have heard of at all, so this film is very likely their first exposure to the material. A vigilante hunter with incredible powers that hunts down criminals around the world certainly sounds like the kind of character that has a lot of potential in terms of delivering a fun, entertaining, and action-packed outing that would give comic book fans just the kind of experience they'd want, but this only makes it all the more disappointing that "Kraven the Hunter" doesn't capitalize on that potential.

The particularly strange part is that, as presented here, Kraven is actually a rather dull, uncompelling character that doesn't have much of a personality. It's not that it's Aaron Taylor-Johnson's fault, as he's shown remarkable talent in other projects, but as written, the character is pretty flat, with a one-track mind that has him doing little more than fighting & killing criminals and their henchmen. This is to say that the story here doesn't give him a whole lot to do besides his basic function, leading to a film that comes across as very rote as it proceeds through its simplistic kidnap & rescue plot.

As far as the antagonists go, Kraven has to face off against a rather formidable pair with The Foreigner, a deadly assassin whose specialty is hypnosis, and The Rhino, the mastermind who has hardened skin as a result of an experiment. The former's methods are rather intriguing, but are sadly underused throughout the film, leaving a desire for a lot more to be done with the character, while the latter sadly has a very simple, bland trait that didn't make him a particularly compelling or memorable villain. The smarter play here would've been to make The Foreigner the main antagonist and allow him to utilize his powers in order to give our hunter a far more exciting villain to square off with.

By the end of the film, you basically feel like you've watched another comic book outing made on an assembly line, one that tries to appeal to fans of action, but which didn't put nearly enough thought into the story & characters, ultimately leading to a disappointment that doesn't satisfy in its most crucial elements. There was certainly a lot of potential to be had with an unusual character like this, it's just a shame that they couldn't tap into it to give the fans something worth sitting through.

Video/Audio:

"Kraven the Hunter" comes to Blu-ray in a 2.39:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality. For the most part, the picture is sharp & clear throughout the film's two-hour runtime, even in its darker scenes. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio is marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and music in outstanding quality. Overall, Sony has done a fantastic job bringing their latest comic book outing to Blu-ray, providing a great experience in both departments.

Special Features:

Becoming Kraven (5 Minutes)

Beast Mode: The Stunts of the Hunt (5 Minutes)

Outtakes & Bloopers (3 Minutes)

Kraven's First Hunt: The Direction (5 Minutes)

Allies & Antagonists: The Killer Cast (6 Minutes)

Deleted Scenes (5 Sequences, 4 Minutes)

The Blu-ray comes with a decent selection of extras, totaling just under 30 minutes, which mainly consists of featurettes that focus on areas such as the cast, the director, and the stunts. Worth delving into if you're looking to learn more about the film.

Conclusion:

J.C. Chandor's "Kraven the Hunter" is another disappointing comic book outing that doesn't take advantage of its intriguing protagonist's potential, while also failing to utilize the more compelling of the two main villains, ultimately resulting in a bland adaptation that neglects its story & characters and feels as though it was made on an assembly line without its most vital pieces.

Score: 2.5/5

Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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