Kraven the Hunter (2024)

Synopsis 

Sergei Kravinov is the son of a ruthless crime boss. After nearly dying on a hunt and given a magic elixir, he gains superpowers that give him the abilities of nature's greatest predators. Years later he's become a vigilante of sorts. When his little brother is kidnapped, Kraven goes on the greatest hunt of his life.

Review

This one was delayed a few years and received universally negative critic reviews, so I went into it with low expectations. I also want to admit that Kraven is one of my favorite villains which could color my opinion. Okay so what did I think of this one? In my opinion Kraven is way better than Morbius or Madame Webb (which is an admittedly low bar), but isn't as good as the Venom trilogy (which I absolutely adore). I think it's comparable to a better than average pre-MCU Marvel flick. The action is solid (and brutal). The effects are fine (though Rhino does look silly). I love Aaron Taylor-Johnson. This is actually the third comic book character he's portrayed. I also really enjoyed Fred Hechinger's portrayal of Kraven's half-brother Dimitri. Russell Crowe was fine as their father Nikolai, but didn't do anything outstanding. Sadly Ariana DeBose's Calypso was underwhelming. She does save Kraven's life twice, but she wasn't the force of nature she should be. One other issue I had is that Kraven's identity being unknown until Rhino was tipped off is ridiculous. Facial recognition software would have ID'd him in a second. 

I appreciated the comic references in this one. Aside from Rhino, there's a lesser known Spidey villain in the mix. Kraven is being hunted by the Foreigner. Going to be real, I had to look him up because I'd never heard of him. He's a merc that was married to Silver Sable at one point. There are a few more comic connections. The Daily Bugle's website can be seen on a computer screen at one point. Also a mad scientist, while not shown, is the source of the superpowers of two characters. This scientist is Miles Warren, aka the Jackal. 

This is the last of the Sony "Spider-Man Without Spider-Man" franchise. I would have been cool with another Kraven movie and as I said I loved the Venom flicks, but I'm okay with it being done. 

In Your Game

While I'd say the comic version of Kraven is Lawful Evil, the movie version seems more Lawful Neutral to me. Yeah he's a killer, but he just kills really bad guys. 

Code Name: Kraven the Hunter

Real Name: Sergei Kravinoff

Pronouns: He/Him

Team Affiliation: -

Medium, Humanoid (Human), Lawful Neutral 

Armor Class: 15 (Dex)

HP:  114 (12d8+60)

Speed: 50 ft.

Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)

Str 20 (+5) Dex 20 (+5) Con 20 (+5) Int 12 (+1) Wis 20 (+5) Cha 10 (+0)

Saving Throws: Str+9, Wis+9 

Damage Resistance: Poison

Skills: Acrobatics +9, Athletics +9,  Perception +9, Stealth +9, Survival +9

Senses: Passive Perception: 19

Languages: Russian, English 

Keen Senses: Kraven has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.

Second Wind: On his turn, as a bonus action, Kraven can draw on his stamina reserves to heal 1d10+12 hit points. He can't use this ability again until he takes a short or long rest. 

Actions

Multiattack: Kraven makes two spear attacks.

Spear: Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+5)  or 9 (1d8+5) piercing 

damage.

Spear: Ranged Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6+5) piercing 

damage.