Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) continues to churn out uninspired, IP-driven films, and Kraven the Hunter stands as one of the most glaring examples of Hollywood’s reliance on familiar but formulaic content. Rather than offering a refreshing take, the film—starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Sergei Kravinoff, a hunter-turned-animal protector—ends up feeling like a missed opportunity. With its clumsy blend of revenge thriller tropes and family trauma, it might have been able to capitalize on something deeper, but it instead succumbs to being a sluggish, soulless affair.
At a hefty 2 hours and 7 minutes, Kraven drags on with little to engage the audience, hopping from tedious action scenes to lackluster dialogue exchanges that do nothing to elevate the material. Director J.D. Chandor, known for more grounded crime dramas, seems out of his element here, floundering with a story that demands more than just flashy set pieces. Despite the supposed R-rated action, the film fails to muster the raw intensity needed, leaving Taylor-Johnson with little to work with in terms of character depth.
The film’s cast doesn’t help matters either. Russell Crowe, as Kraven’s Russian mobster father, gives a forgettable performance, missing the gravitas he’s brought to other superhero roles. Ariana DeBose, playing the voodoo priestess Calypso, finds herself stuck in a thankless role with no depth or direction. And while Taylor-Johnson’s physical transformation is evident, it doesn’t make up for the script’s shallow treatment of Kraven’s character, with the actor resorting to raising an eyebrow for most of his emotional range.
What makes Kraven particularly disappointing is that it manages to be the least campy of the SSU films, but that’s hardly a compliment. While movies like Morbius and Madame Web were occasionally so outlandish that they became unintentionally fun, Kraven plays it safe, avoiding the kind of chaotic energy that could have made it memorable—even if it were just in a meme-worthy sense. Instead, it’s an overly cautious, predictable movie that neither thrills nor entertains.
Ultimately, Kraven the Hunter feels like a symptom of everything wrong with modern cinema: an overreliance on brand extensions, lackluster storytelling, and a sense that studios are more concerned with milking a franchise than actually delivering a compelling movie. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe seems to be circling the drain, and Kraven may just be the final nail in its coffin. If reports are accurate, this could signal the end of an era, and maybe the superhero genre will be better off without the SSU dragging it down.