Kraven The Hunter Review: An Epic Misfire

Kraven the Hunter squanders its potential with poor acting, unfinished visuals, and baffling story choices.

What could have been a compelling villain origin story of vengeance and morality devolves into a messy, uninspired disaster that struggles to justify its existence.

The film begins with Sergei as a child, raised by his ruthless father, before shifting to his adult years as Kraven. Early on, there’s a prison escape sequence that sets the tone for the rest of the movie: chaotic and incoherent. Sergei’s escape, which involves a plane waiting for him, is clearly pre-planned, but the film never explains how he knows the people who orchestrated it. This lack of basic storytelling clarity pervades the movie, leaving the audience constantly confused.

The performances from an otherwise talented cast are bafflingly bad. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, usually a standout, seems disconnected from the material. Ariana DeBose and Russell Crowe, both Oscar winners, deliver performances so flat and lifeless that it feels like they’re phoning it in from another planet. Each line of dialogue is delivered without conviction, making the already laughably bad script even more unbearable.

Ariana DeBose’s portrayal of Calypso Ezili is utterly wasted too. Calypso is supposed to be Kraven’s lawyer friend, and he asks her to help him track people down, only for him to repeatedly brag about how he’s the greatest hunter in the world and doesn’t need help. Her presence is not only unnecessary but also contradictory to Kraven’s character arc, making her role feel pointless. The amount of times I found myself unintentionally laughing is just embarrassing, a movie like this shouldn’t make me laugh when it’s trying to be as serious as it is.

Speaking of the script, the dialogue feels as though it was cobbled together by someone who’d never heard people actually speak. The characters’ lines alternate between unintentionally comedic and painfully dull. Adding to the absurdity is the baffling inconsistency of accents: the younger versions of Sergei and his brother Dmitri (Fred Hechinger, of Thelma and Gladiator II) have Russian accents, yet as adults, they inexplicably speak with American accents. This glaring oversight is never addressed. 

Visually, the movie is no better. The special effects are atrocious, with several sequences looking unfinished. The action scenes, which should have been the film’s highlight, are clunky and poorly choreographed, lacking any sense of excitement or tension. It’s astounding that this was considered a finished product. 

There’s a glimmer of potential in the concept: Kraven’s quest to become the world’s greatest hunter could have been interesting, especially if it had leaned into him targeting poachers or exploring his moral conflicts. Unfortunately, the film opts for shallow character arcs and over-the-top set pieces that fail to resonate.Ultimately, Kraven the Hunter feels like a colossal missed opportunity. Its messy storytelling, abysmal acting, and laughable production values combine to create what might just be the most disappointing film of the year.

Kraven the Hunter is now available to watch globally in theaters.