Movie · 2024 · Action, Adventure, Thriller · 2h 7m · R · English
Curator score: 0.2/10 (317.9K ratings)
Villains aren't born. They're made.
Overview
Kraven Kravinoff's complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai, starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.
Ratings
Curator score: 0.2/10
IMDb: 5.5/10
Letterboxd: 1.97/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 15%
Metacritic: 35
TMDB: 6.4/10
Director
J.C. Chandor
Production
Columbia Pictures, Matt Tolmach Productions, Arad Productions, TSG Entertainment II
Cast
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Levi Miller, Tom Reed, Billy Barratt, Diaana Babnicova, Murat Seven, Greg Kolpakchi, Mark Arden, Jack Brady, Alex Batareanu, Will Bowden, Damola Adelaja, Guillaume Delaunay, Duran Fulton Brown
Where to watch
Netflix
Curator Review
Verdict
A grim antihero origin story with occasional pulpy energy, but the execution is too muddled, noisy, and generic to recommend. It may appeal to viewers who enjoy comic-book train wrecks or are curious about the Sony Spider-Man Universe’s final stretch, but it’s not a strong action-thriller on its own terms.
Best for
completionists of comic-book universes
viewers who enjoy so-bad-it’s-fascinating studio misfires
fans of brooding antihero origins with violent action
Skip if
you want coherent plotting and clean character motivation
you’re looking for inventive action or memorable set pieces
you’re tired of franchise setup that feels mechanically assembled
Overview
Kraven the Hunter wants to be a savage, operatic origin story about inherited violence and self-made monstrosity. Instead, it lands as a patchwork of familiar beats, with a few flashes of pulp menace buried under flat storytelling and awkward tonal shifts. The result is less a feral character study than a reminder of how hard it is to manufacture myth from IP alone.
Worth noting
There are moments where the movie seems to wake up: a burst of brutality here, a self-serious line reading there, a hint of the absurdity that could have made it fun. But those sparks never cohere into momentum. The action is serviceable at best, the emotional arc is thin, and the whole thing feels oddly detached from its own premise.
Bottom line
If you’re drawn to comic-book curiosities, this has a certain accidental entertainment value. For most viewers, though, it’s an easy pass unless you’re specifically interested in franchise archaeology or watching a major studio misjudge its own material in real time.
Top Letterboxd reviews
timtamtitus (1★) · 7002 likes
i loved the part when he's about to fight and says, "I've been Kraven for this"
Joel (2.5★) · 5285 likes
Nothing could’ve prepared me for the most abrupt cut to a Harry Styles song that happens in this movie
jonathan fujii (1★) · 4097 likes
One of those special kind of movies that remind you society is crumbling
justinwuah (2★) · 4036 likes
more like kravin' aaron taylor-johnson
Luca Bruno (1★) · 3412 likes
He was in the Savanna with his dad when he was getting attacked by a lion right before he died