Kraven The Hunter: A Wild Ride Through the Jungle of Action and Chaos

As I begin to finally sit down and catch up on the recent Sony depictions of MCU comic book movies, Kraven The Hunter made it's way to Netflix after I didn't bother spending the money to see it in theatres due to poor reviews.

Let’s dive into this untamed jungle of movie madness and see if it’s more ‘savage predator’ or just another ‘scrappy underdog'.

Ah, Kraven the Hunter – the name alone conjures up visions of a rugged, muscly man in a loincloth, stalking the most dangerous prey in the world. If you’re thinking "Wow, that sounds like an Oscar-worthy film," well, you're in for a delightful surprise. In a world filled with brooding superheroes and dark origin stories, Kraven the Hunter is here to remind us that sometimes, a little chaos and a lot of muscle are all we need.

The Plot: A "Hunter" in a World of Prey

Our story begins with Kraven (played by the ever-brooding Aaron Taylor-Johnson), the Russian-born big-game hunter with a personal vendetta against the animal kingdom, and—let’s not forget—humans too, if they get in his way. He’s got a beef with his father (Russell Crowe, who’s... let’s just say, “phoning it in” here) and some unresolved daddy issues that don’t really add much to the plot but give the film an oddly Shakespearean flavor. Anyway, Kraven is hunting the world’s most dangerous prey, which in this case, involves some very sketchy villains and, for some reason, a lot of lion-themed metaphors.

But what’s a classic hero’s journey without some transformation? Kraven gets bitten by a magical lion (yes, you read that correctly) and suddenly starts developing superhuman strength, agility, and—wait for it—a deep, almost spiritual connection to animals. Now, he’s not just your average, rage-filled hunter; he's the Animal Avenger, combining his obsession with hunting with a newfound love for animal conservation. Yeah, it's confusing. It's like watching a butcher open a vegan restaurant—there's just too much irony to process.

It's also weird to see Aaron Taylor Johnson in another Marvel role after his debut in the MCU as Quicksilver in Avengers Age Of Ultron

The Characters: More Meatheads Than Mind Readers

Kraven isn’t alone in this bizarre jungle of chaos. He’s got his ragtag team of sidekicks and foes, each more ridiculous than the last. We meet:

The Chameleon (Fred Hechinger), Kraven’s half-brother and master of disguise. He's so incredibly good at transforming into other people that you’ll occasionally forget who he is in the first place. (Is he a bad guy? Or just someone who wandered in from a different movie?)
Calypso (Ariana DeBose), a witch who provides the mystical side of things. When she’s not engaging in some weird love-hate thing with Kraven, she’s... well, being mysterious and trying to make you feel like she’s a more important character than she actually is.
Rhino (played by a heavily armored… rhinoceros?), who doesn’t really get much screen time but leaves a lasting impression as the one character who doesn’t have any of the subtlety or depth of a real villain. He’s just there to punch things and look menacing, and honestly, who can blame him?

Together, they form an eclectic mix of characters that range from cringey to occasionally fun, but none of them are ever really compelling enough to make you care beyond the occasional “Oh, I wonder what’s going to happen to this one?”

The Action: Animals Gone Wild

You know what you're signing up for when you watch a movie like Kraven the Hunter. You’re not looking for Oscar-worthy performances (although, there are moments when the acting makes you wish for a script rewrite). What you are here for is violence and ridiculous stunts, and boy, does this movie deliver.

The action sequences are fast, furious, and completely unhinged. Imagine a chase through the jungle, only instead of a typical predator-prey dynamic, you’ve got Kraven doing acrobatics while fighting a bunch of dudes in animal-themed outfits. Then there's the inevitable showdown with the "rhino" that plays out like a WWE match between a human and a giant, armored creature. At no point do you ever believe Kraven has a prayer against the sheer bulk of his opponents—but somehow, it’s always exhilarating to watch.

But let’s talk about the real winner here: the lion. Because, of course, Kraven’s powers come from a magical lion bite, and once he taps into the primal power of his feline friend, the movie becomes a blurry, chaotic homage to The Lion King crossed with a mid-90s action flick. It’s insane. It’s fun. And it’s totally absurd.

The Visuals: 10,000 Jungle Filters

The jungle aesthetic is strong, but not in the way you might expect. It’s less about “realism” and more about “let’s throw in every Instagram jungle filter known to man.” The environment feels like a fever dream of neon greens, purples, and oranges. There’s a certain synthetic quality to the visual effects, but in the end, it just adds to the feeling that nothing in Kraven the Hunter was ever meant to be taken seriously. If you enjoy the mind-bending chaos of wild colors and CGI monstrosities, this movie is a visual treat!

Oh, and did I mention the lions? Yeah, there’s a lot of lions. Like, an unnecessary amount of lions. But hey, they’re majestic, and we wouldn’t want a movie about Kraven without a little lion action, right?

The Humor: So Bad, It’s Good

Let’s face it—this movie knows exactly what it is: A big, dumb, fun action flick that has no intentions of being anything else. And, you know what? I kinda dig it. The dialogue is hilariously over-the-top, with one-liners that sound like they were written by someone who binge-watched 80s action movies on a Saturday afternoon. It’s cheesy, it’s corny, but it’s also kind of what makes the movie fun. If you’re looking for highbrow humor, you’ve come to the wrong jungle. But if you’re looking for one-liners so bad they’re good, then this is the cinematic equivalent of a buffet of awkward jokes.

The Verdict: A Jungle Full of Nonsense

Kraven the Hunter is, without a doubt, a ridiculous, over-the-top action movie. It doesn’t bother with logic, subtlety, or character depth. What it does have is a lot of muscle, weird animal powers, and insane action that will keep you entertained, if not totally confused.

If you’re a fan of films where logic goes to die, animals have unexplained magical powers, and everyone in the cast is either a villain or antihero with a tortured past, then this movie is your jam. It’s not going to win any awards for storytelling or acting, but who needs all that when you’ve got a super-charged, lion-fueled Kraven tearing through a jungle of CGI madness?

So, grab your popcorn, suspend all disbelief, and just go with it—because in the wild world of Kraven the Hunter, nothing makes sense, and that’s exactly what makes it fun.

Rating: 37% – Pure madness, but hey, it’s entertaining madness.