How is Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) faring? Well, there’s plenty of artistry and appeal in the animated entries “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and its equally dazzling sequel, “Across the Spider-Verse.” There’s also the widespread popularity of the much-loved “Venom” trilogy, which sets a decent example for Sony’s focus on Spider-Man villains from the Marvel Comics. However, other spin-offs within this subcategory have failed to impress critics and audiences alike, with “Morbius” and “Madame Web” managing to completely destroy the excitement surrounding Sony’s live-action Spider-Man villains. Will J.C. Chandor’s “Kraven the Hunter” be able to break this unlucky streak and pave a new path forward? This does not seem probable, as “Kraven the Hunter” might mark the end of the line for Sony’s Spider-Man villain universe.
A quick look at first reactions to “Kraven the Hunter” will make it clear that the collective critical verdict leans towards the negative. While some critics have praised the uncompromising brutality embodied by the central character (hence the film’s R rating), others have underlined its lack of sincerity and disinterest in telling a story with stakes that matter. The Rotten Tomatoes score for the film stands at a measly 14% at the time of this writing, with “Madame Web” taking the crown for the lowest-rated SSU film with an 11% on the Tomatometer. Naturally, this is bad news for Sony, as the fate of its Spider-Man villain-focused flicks rests on “Kraven” being a commercial success, and on top of the poor reaction, the movie isn’t tracking too well at the box office, especially considering it has a budget that exceeds the $100 million range.
Box office expectations aside, what exactly can you expect from “Kraven the Hunter?” Let’s take a took.
Kraven the Hunter’s comics history, plus how he’s handled in the film
Aaron Taylor-Johnson imbues Kraven’s live-action iteration with a haughty arrogance, but the comics mold him as a formidable adversary of Spider-Man whose only goal in life is to become the greatest hunter (duh) and beat our web-slinger. The comic book character’s first appearance was in “The Amazing Spider-Man” issue #15, and across his history, he’s been depicted as taking down giant beasts with his bare hands after being trained by a mysterious mercenary. Another intriguing Kraven fact is that he is a founding member of the Sinister Six, a group of supervillains who band together with the intention of defeating Spider-Man once and for all.
In Chandor’s film, Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven has been described as a protector of the natural world, as he follows a strict code of honor when it comes to hunting animals. The film also highlights Kraven’s complicated relationship with his father, which triggers a revenge-fueled journey toward becoming the most enviable hunter. Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, and Christopher Abbott co-star alongside Russell Crowe,who plays Kraven’s ruthless father, Nikolai Kravinoff.
It remains to be seen how “Kraven the Hunter” actually performs at the box office, and whether widespread audiences will grant it more leeway as a middling, inoffensive live-action Kraven adaptation. Anyhow, there are other (potentially better) Sony projects to look forward to, such as the highly-anticipated “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse,” which is set to be the final entry in the exciting, bittersweet Spider-Verse trilogy.
“Kraven the Hunter” hits theaters on December 13, 2024.