It’s almost impressive how Kraven the Hunter (2024) manages to be the final nail in the coffin for the Sony Spider-Verse, a franchise that never really got off the ground. With the exception of the Venom films, the consistency just wasn’t there, and Kraven the Hunter is no exception. This was a doomed project from the start—after delays, reshoots, and minimal studio enthusiasm, it arrived in late 2024 already feeling like an afterthought.
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What’s especially shocking is that Kraven the Hunter boasts arguably the most stacked cast of any Sony Spider-Verse movie. Aaron Taylor-Johnson leads as the titular antihero, joined by Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, Christopher Abbott, Alessandro Nivola, and Fred Hechinger—all under the direction of J.C. Chandor, a filmmaker known for gripping, dialogue-heavy dramas like A Most Violent Year, Triple Frontier and Margin Call. And yet, almost none of that talent is put to good use. The acidic tension and high-stakes drama that define Chandor’s best films are completely absent here, replaced by a self-serious, unfocused mess.
The film centers on Kraven Kravinoff’s (Taylor-Johnson) fraught relationship with his ruthless father, Nikolai (Crowe), which sets him on a path of revenge and turns him into one of the world’s deadliest hunters. But instead of developing this dynamic into something compelling, the movie continuously dilutes itself by throwing in an overstuffed roster of villains. Christopher Abbott shows up as The Foreigner—far too late in the film to make much impact—while Alessandro Nivola’s take on Rhino is undone by some questionable visual effects that clash with the movie’s supposed grounded tone. Meanwhile, Fred Hechinger’s Chameleon is awkwardly set up as a future big bad—except, with the Sony Spider-Verse essentially dead, it plays as a frustratingly empty tease.
Even Ariana DeBose’s Calypso, positioned as a key love interest, feels underdeveloped, likely intended to have more significance in sequels that will never happen. The only character with a complete arc is Nikolai, but even his presence feels more functional than meaningful.
At the very least, the Venom movies—and even Madame Web at times—embraced their campy absurdity. But Kraven the Hunter, much like Morbius, tries to take itself seriously while offering nothing engaging in return. The result is a film with no real reason to exist, and even Sony seemed to know it, doing everything possible to bury it. If this is truly the end of the Sony Spider-Verse, then it went out with a whimper.
Score: 3/10
Kraven the Hunter (2024)
- Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe
- Director: J.C. Chandor
- Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller
- Runtime: 127 minutes
- Rated: R
- Release Date: December 13, 2024
More Reviews for Movies Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Cinephile Corner has reviewed the following movies starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson:
- Bullet Train (2022)
- The Fall Guy (2024)
- Nosferatu (2024)
- Kraven the Hunter (2024)
More Reviews for Sony Spider-Verse Movies
Cinephile Corner has reviewed the following movies in the Sony Spider-Verse:
- Morbius (2022)
- Madame Web (2024)
- Venom: The Last Dance (2024)
- Kraven the Hunter (2024)