Summary
Sony’s Marvel universe is rounding out the year withKraven the Hunter,which will be an origin story for the famed Spider-Man villain. Ahead of the film’s release in a couple of weeks, the studio has released eight minutes of footage promoting the new movie.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson leadsKraven the Hunteras Sergei Kravinoff, a Russian criminal and poacher who aims to become the world’s greatest hunter. The Sony film is expected to explore Kraven’s relationship with his father, Nikolai, a crime lord played by Russell Crowe.Kraven the Hunterwill be the third 2024 release from Sony’s Spioder-ManMarvelfilm universe, following the release ofMadame WebandVenom: The Last Dance. Thefilm has been delayed multiple timesand was originally set for release in January 2023, before it got a
Sony Releases Opening Footage of Kraven the Hunter
Kraven the Hunteris expected to be a darker and far more brutal superhero film out of Sony’s Marvel universe. Footage shown to fans at New York Comic-Con was reported to be brutal, bloody, and gory,earning the movie an R-ratingby the MPAA. Some of that brutality is on display in the first eight minutes of the film, which Sony Pictures released on itsofficial YouTube account.
The film opens with Kraven in custody and on his way to a Russian prison. Along the way, those around him doubt whether he has what it takes to survive in prison. Upon arrival, Kraven makes small talk with his cellmate and vows he won’t be around longer than three days. The next day in the exercise yard, Kraven is accosted by two prisoners who get a taste of his super strength when they attempt to remove him from the bench press. Kraven is then escorted to a man named Seymon Chorney, a gunrunner and the head of the Kirov gang. Kraven reveals his intentions, he is a hunter who preys on people like Chorney. Breaking off a fang from a taxidermied tiger, Kraven uses it to brutally murder Chorney’s men and then ends Chorney himself with a stab to the neck. The next sequence sees Kraven escape,using his strength and speedto parkour out of the prison and dodge the guards’ gunfire, eventually escaping on a plane that’s waiting for him. Once there, Kraven’s entire plan is revealed, He killed and impersonated the original criminal bound for the Russian prison to allow him to infiltrate and take out Chorney.
Can Kraven the Hunter Redeem the Sony Spiderverse?
The first eight minutes ofKraven the Huntersets the tone for the film, which is asbrutal and action-packed as previous reportshave alluded to. It’s a promising start, but Sony’s Spiderverse universe hasn’t had the best track record, withVenom: The Last Dancescoring just 41% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics, andMadame Webearning even less with just 11%. The box officeoutlook forKraven the Hunterisn’t much better, but perhaps it can still surprise audiences and be the one to rebuild faith in Sony’s Marvel universe.
