I have seen the trailer for the film Kraven the Hunter and anxiously awaited the release for what seems like months. Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as Sergei Kravinoff, son of Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe) and brother to Dimitri Smerdyakov (Fred Hechinger). It is understood from the trailer that the boys do not have the most loving and caring relationship with their father. It is in fact very strained. Crowe is excellent in portraying a man who fathered two children, says he cares in one way or another, but is prone to talking to excess about them becoming men who do not fear anyone or anything. No weakness allowed, anywhere or anytime. The screenplay is by Art Marcum (Men in Black: International, Iron Man), Matt Holloway (same films as Marcum), and Richard Wenk (The Equalizer, all three, The Expendables 2) and directed by J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year, Margin Call). These are experienced filmmakers, and I expected more from the dialogue for these characters.
I am most disappointed with a few of the lines that were given to Ariana DeBose as Calypso Ezili. I tried to enjoy what I could of the film and drown out the sounds in the theater by others. When I heard Calypso respond to a question from Sergei about a family member, I gave up thinking the script could be better from then on. Sergei has Calypso to thank for his animal-style super-powers when he was young. While on a safari hunt with his big game hunter father Nikolai, things go physically bad for him as he faces a lion. Calypso sees his trauma while out with her parents, steals away and steps in with something she inherited from her grandmother. Sergei’s life (Levi Miller as Young Sergei Kravinoff) has changed.
Kraven the Hunter is the name Sergei has given himself. He is on the road to jail with several other prisoners in a land full of ice and snow. They are given a five-minute break in which Kraven takes his chance to bolt (of course) and show the viewers his assassin abilities. He finds the criminal he is looking for and goes on to the next. This includes jumping over rooftops, going up walls (instead of the stairs or elevators). He has a helicopter waiting to take him away to his next destination. The helicopter pilot asks him something and his response is so lame and uninspired. Who told him that would work for fans??
Among the super-powered villains that want to get to Kraven are Aleksei “the Rhino” Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola) and the assassin known as Foreigner (Christopher Abbott). The fights are about the same as seen in other films, interesting but not as impressive as other action films.
Runtime is 127 minutes and is rated R. The film opens in theaters December 12, 2024. My recommendation is to find the theater who offers a discount day and/or a matinee ticket.
Source: Sony, Marvel Cinematic Universe
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