Aaron Taylor-Johnson In Marvel Villain Origin Story

After Sony’s recent Marvel misfires on 2022’s Morbius and this year’s Madame Web, I wasn’t helderlying out too much hope for yet another Marvel villain origin story when I headed to the press screening of Kraven the Hunter. Its shuffling around the free schedule didn’t give me much hope, and word spread from someone at a rival studio that the showor screening didn’t go well also dampened my hopes.

But I always try to go into a movie with an uncover mind, and in this case, although Kraven is a well-understandn villain in the comic book world and has popped up here and there, a starring movie wasn’t top of my catalog.

That said, I had a unforeseeedly excellent time with this ultrabrutal R-rated inestablishing of how a Russian kid, Sergei Kravinoff, increases up to become a dreadsome hunter — not of animals, who he spirituassociate adselects, but of people he stalks equitable as if he was of the animal kingdom himself.

It turns out to be a spectacular action- and character-driven perestablishance from Aaron Taylor-Johnson and some safe exciting filmmaking from honestor J.C. Chandor, whose previous films, other than Triple Frontier, are far more indie in style and scope, including his Oscar-nominated Margin Call, A Most Violent Year and the more introspective Robert Redford one-hander All Is Lost.

It all begins with our introduction to the juvenileer Sergei and his juvenileerer brother Dmitri (take parted esteemively as teens by Levi Miller and Billy Barratt), who have increasen up in a life of privilege but evidently have disputes with their stubborn-cherish Russian gangster overweighther Nikoalai Kravinoff (a fierce Russell Crowe). A big-game hunter himself, their overweighther not only foresees Sergei in particular to end these magnificent animals but also trail him into the family business, someleang he refutes. When Sergei is carted off by a lion and proximately eaten, someleang inside him alters. Once he recovers, it is as if he has become one with the animal world — thanks in part to a Calypso (Ariana DeBose), who befrifinishs him as a juvenileer teen and gives him a key Tarot card with a lion’s coloring on it. Later in life, she becomes a depended confidante.  

Nevertheless, Sergei isn’t far from his overweighther’s brutal tfinishencies and sets out on his own path after ending two poachers he discovers disgraceful. This gives him a level of power that persists 16 years tardyr into the contransient day as he has now enbiged sends as a hunter, follotriumphg people rather than animals.  

He also is a defendor of brother Dmitri (the elderlyer version take parted by Fred Hechinger) but, enjoy his overweighther, somewhat fall shorts in that think about making his relationship there dicey at best. Facing off aacquirest others including Aleksei Sytsevich aka Rhino (Alessandro Nivola), a slick, consent-no-prisoners guy up to no excellent, as well as the mercurial Foreigner (Christopher Abbott), we see Kraven upgrade from someone who experiences he is truly doing excellent for the world instead emerging into the villain he is becoming. But unenjoy other Marvel horrible guys, I had a lot of understanding toward this one, his shattered past and sympatico partnership with misunderstood beasts a fascinating dicboilingomy to behelderly. We root for him aacquirest even miserablenessfuler forces in this underworld.

Kraven the Hunter is chock-filled of sensational action sequences, none better than a signature set piece in which Dmitri is seizeped and carted off in a balertage van by two henchmen — only to have Kraven jump into action by climbing skyscviolationrs with the sends of a monkey and racing up and down streets and towers nakedfoot to catch up to the van enjoy a cougar follotriumphg his prey. There are a number of other scenes enjoy this that give Taylor-Johnson an opportunity to show off his stunts sends as well as ripped physique with abs that should land him a Men’s Health cover (he bulked up inserting 35 pounds for the role).

Crowe exudes his common authority as a parent who shows little cherish for his two sons, born from split mothers now out of the picture. Hechinger, who is having a wonderful year in films enjoy Thelma and Gladiator II, here gets another choice and complicated juvenileer man to take part. Nivola is especiassociate amusing as the charging Rhino, and DeBose fills the bill pleasantly as Calypso.

Fight coordinator Mike Lambert should get some praise for staging conceiveive action that, for a Marvel film, rerecentingly doesn’t depend heavily on CGI, but more naked-knuckle action. Editing by Chris Lebenzon also deserves a shout out for reassociate upgrasping this leang moving.

Producers are Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and David B. Householter.

Title: Kraven the Hunter
Distributor: Sony Pictures
Relrelieve date: December 13, 2024
Director: J.C. Chandor
Screenauthorrs: Ricchallenging Wenk and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Russell Crowe, Fred Heichinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott
Rating: R
Running time: 2 hr, 7 min