First Kraven The Hunter Reactions Confirm What We Suspected About Sony's Marvel Movie

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Considering its many difficulties and disappointments, there's a very real chance that Sony's Spider-Man villain universe could be dead after "Kraven the Hunter." As such, a lot is riding on the movie's success, and both the "Kraven the Hunter" trailer and the first eight minutes of the movie (which can be viewed online) make it difficult to gauge whether Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Sergei "Kraven" Kravinoff is up to the task. In all honesty and knowing Sony's track record with its non-"Venom" Spider-Man projects, though, it's been easy to suspect that "Kraven the Hunter" is going to divide opinions. Judging by the early reactions from critics, this is precisely the case.   

Let's start with the positive first impressions, which in some cases are extremely enthusiastic. Sean Tajipour of Nerdropolis was quick to make his pro-Kraven stance known on X (previously known as Twitter), writing:

"['Kraven the Hunter'] is a knockout! Aaron Taylor-Johnson embodies Kraven with his physique, charisma, and raw savagery. The R-rating pays off big time. This film is bloody, raw, and brutal while offering a story that does this iconic villain justice."

High praise as this is, the opinion is far from isolated. Gerald McCoy also enjoyed all aspects of the movie, posting:

Just left the world premiere of ['Kraven the Hunter'] I'm telling yall right now, this movie is [fire]!! The acting, the cinematography, the music, the writing, trust me, yall know I don't judge lightly............ THIS IS ONE OF THEM!! From beginning to end!!

Other X users who have had the chance to view "Kraven the Hunter," like @1969ChandlerBin and @davybirth, also had good things to say. Both highlighted the film's entertaining action, which naturally bodes well for a superhero — or, in this case, supervillain — movie. 

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While there's chatter about "Kraven the Hunter" being a big bucket of fun, others lambasted the movie for its uninteresting approach and uninspired delivery. Film critic Brandon Norwood wasn't impressed by either the movie or the work of its usually acclaimed director, J.C. Chandor ("All is Lost," "Triple Frontier"), writing:

"KRAVEN THE HUNTER is one of the most souless movies ever made. Even JC Chandor has made something so soulless and generic. 'Kraven with a K'."

These blunt words are far from the only ones out there. Colton Ogburn of Screen Rant had even harsher comments about the movie's allure ... or, as he makes clear, a lack thereof:

"I want my money back. And the screening was free.

Elsewhere, Chris Gallardo of Hollywood Handle and Leo Rydel of Geekly Goods both had praise for Aaron Taylor-Johnson's efforts and some of the action sequences, but disliked the "Kraven" script. Meanwhile, Ken Murray criticized the movie's CGI, comparing it unfavorably to the original "Jurassic Park."

All in all, it appears that "Kraven the Hunter" won't be the kind of movie that gets five-star reviews across the board, and many people who have seen it are very open about their view that it's not exactly great cinema. However, there are also those who enjoy the movie and even its detractors seem to largely like Taylor-Johnson in the titular role, so time will tell how the movie fares in the grand scheme of things.

"Kraven the Hunter" hits theaters on December 13, 2024.