Built on brawn, J.C. Chandor’s action sci-fi picture “Kraven the Hunter” is limited by incomprehensible plotting and dodgy one-liners delivered by a cast who seem to be practicing their worst Russian accents. If not for the bevy of anticlimactic fights, “Kraven the Hunter” could be so bad it’s good. Instead, it’s merely another excursion away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to Sony’s series of defanged comic book villains.
Kraven’s baffling origin story finds a jumbled through-line in half brothers Sergei and Dmitri’s tight-knit relationship. Sons of Russian drug dealer Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe, adopting a low, growling accent), the boys are persistently pushed by their bloodthirsty father to be stronger than Sergei’s mother, who recently died by suicide. To harden them, Nikolai takes them hunting in Ghana. “Shoot to kill. Fun,” Nikolai grumbles. Fun for Sergei is short-lived when a lion mauls him. Only a potion provided by a passerby named Calypso saves Sergei, imbuing him with otherworldly vision, agility and strength.
Fast forward 16 years and a hulking Sergei (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is now a vigilante known as “Kraven the Hunter,” who’s pursuing criminals that remind him of his estranged father. Aleksei Sytsevich (Alessandro Nivola), a Russian mercenary who can morph into a rhino, is not only worried that Kraven will soon pursue him. Aleksei also wants to eliminate his rival Nikolai. Aleksei kidnaps Dmitri and dispatches a time-morphing assassin called the Foreigner (Christopher Abbott) to pursue Kraven. With an adult Calypso (Ariana DeBose) providing aid, Kraven tries to free Dmitri.
Thankfully, “Kraven the Hunter” doesn’t take itself too seriously. Like Sony’s “The Venom” franchise and “Madame Web,” the story is incidental to these larger-than-life characters. While Taylor-Johnson does his best Hugh Jackman impression — posing for glamour shots of his ripped body before crawling and flying across the frame — only a couple of actors here know exactly what movie they’re in. Abbott is captivatingly slippery, rolling his slender frame and casting his bewitching eyes on his victims with cool intent. Nivola, on the other hand, is the type of ham you’d find in Joel Schumacher’s Batman films. From his surprising hissing to his stocky build, every choice he makes is spontaneous yet wholly grounded in this troubled character.
If the action in “Kraven the Hunter” was as well conceived as its villains, it’d be a riot. Unfortunately, the brawls are physically detached from the environment. The choreography lacks punch and design; the compositions are spatially unaware. Kraven and Aleksei ‘s final tussle, an anticlimactic mud fight in the middle of a field, ends as quickly as it began. The film adds a pound of revenge and an ounce of a surprise to its final moments, but these ingredients, including the entertaining silliness, aren’t enough for “Kraven the Hunter” to catch the biggest game — our admiration.
Kraven the Hunter
Rated R for violence, blood and daddy problems. Running time: 2 hours 7 minutes. In theaters.
