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If some certain Kraven the Hunter scenes had gone in a different direction, the project could’ve arguably been Sony’s strongest Spider-Man Universe movie. While not the worst entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe movie roster, the antihero’s debut film was not the success that the studio hoped for. Kraven The Hunter reviews were decidedly mixed, as while audiences gave it an average 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it was panned by critics with a 16% score.
Unlike Madame Web and Morbius, which seemed to be weak projects from their inceptions, Kraven the Hunter actually had potential. This is especially clear given the Kraven the Hunter cast, which was also stacked with two Academy Award winners: Ariana DeBose and Russell Crowe. However, the film didn’t utilize its strong actors to its advantage, and was ultimately weighed down by the likes of poor writing, visual effects, and ADR. This is especially evident in the setup for the movie, which exemplify both its wasted potential and how things went awry.
Kraven The Hunter’s Origin Story Scenes Feel Too Much Like The Traditional Superhero Movie Origin Story
Most people know how the traditional superhero origin story goes. While it is often a necessary part of introducing new characters in superhero movies and shows, the trope can feel bland because of how many times it’s been featured already. The characters that Sony’s Spider-Man Universe focused on were not very traditional heroes in a sense, so there should’ve been more room to play with a unique plot. However, half of Kraven the Hunter’s runtime is focused on young Kraven and how he came to get his powers, which makes for a very predictable story.
While hunting with his father and brother, young Sergei is attacked by a lion. Though a young Calypso saves his life with a serum, Kraven’s physical attributes become animalistic. Ultimately, this was a very run-of-the-mill direction for the story to go, and the fact this origin story could’ve easily taken place in a conventional MCU movie took away from some of the unique potential that adapting Kraven’s story held. Especially considering that the comic book iteration of Kraven is more of an actual villain, the film could’ve easily leaned away from the traditional superpower origin story and gone with something more sinister.
Giving Kraven The Hunter A Warped Version Of Spider-Man’s Origin Story Actually Does Make Sense
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe uses characters from his lore without actually featuring the hero himself, so it’s safe to assume that most people watching the SSU know how the Peter Parker story goes. With this in mind, a much more interesting direction for Sony to take Kraven the Hunter in could’ve been a warped version of Spider-Man’s iconic origin story. There are plenty of parallels between Peter and Sergei, the most obvious one being that they both have powers that resemble the creatures that attacked them respectively.
Related
8 Things Sony’s Spider-Man Universe Actually Got Right
The Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is largely considered a failure, there were some redeeming features and moments in which the franchise excelled.
If the studio had leaned into making Kraven the Hunter a darker retelling of the Spider-Man story, it could’ve arguably made the film more successful. Kraven’s story is basically the “with great power comes great responsibility” motif turned on its head, so this approach would’ve made sense for the character while still fitting into the SSU. Since the film has ended up being the Sony Spider-Man Universe’s last project, not drawing parallels to Spider-Man’s origin story feels like even more of a missed opportunity now.
- Release Date
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December 13, 2024
- Runtime
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127 Minutes
- Cast
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Aaron Taylor-Johnson
, Russell Crowe
, Fred Hechinger
, Ariana DeBose
, Christopher Abbott
, Alessandro Nivola
, Levi Miller
, Chi Lewis-Parry
, Billy Barratt
, Jessica Zhou
, Michael Shaeffer
, Dritan Kastrati
, Greg Kolpakchi
, Elander Moore
, Filiz Fairweather
, Duran Fulton Brown
, Alex Skarbek
, Rachel Handshaw
, Preslav Shipkaliev
, Murat Seven
, Robert Ryan - Director
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J.C. Chandor
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