Remember “Kraven the Hunter,” the movie coming out next week as part of Sony’s ongoing attempt to build a cinematic universe of Spider-Man characters without actually showing Spider-Man? Well, Sony would really appreciate it if you remembered, because like I said, the movie is coming out in a week. To celebrate the occasion, the studio has even released the first eight minutes of “Kraven the Hunter” online, giving audiences a taste of what the titular Spider-Man villain looks like in this film (which again serves as the latest chapter in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, aka the franchise formerly known as SPUMC).
If you need a refresher, and frankly, why wouldn’t you, here’s the deal with Kraven the Hunter. Played off possible future James Bond actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Kraven is the son of a former Russian crime boss who is extremely cold and hard on his children. Not only did Kraven grow up to be an expert killer and hunter, but he also appears to have superpowers as a result of his DNA changing after his blood mixed with that of a lion.
The opening scene of “Kraven the Hunter” (see above) makes it very clear that this film is in line with SSU’s in turning villains (or at least anti-heroes) from the “Spider-Man” comics into pretty much just regular superheroes . This sequence is actually about Kraven sneaking into a Russian prison just so he can kill a mob boss.
The hunter Kraven is very violent
The film’s opening begins with Kraven being transported to a prison somewhere in Russia. He’s surprisingly calm and nonchalant about things, like standing outside in the middle of a snowstorm to pee while a guard tries to warn him that wolves would kill him in minutes. When other prisoners try to intimidate him, Kraven either ignores them or beats the hell out of them with feats of superhuman strength (such as lifting a barbell while two grown men press it down on him). He also promises his new roommate that he won’t spend more than three days in jail.
Once he causes enough of a ruckus to be taken to a mob boss in his jail cell, Kraven continues to joke that he’s a mythical John Wick-style hunter feared throughout the criminal underworld. He then takes the tooth out of a tiger skin rug and proceeds to brutally and graphically kill the mob boss and his lackeys, saying that he is here to hunt them down because they run a giant gang that has killed thousands of women and children. Claims the proceeds to effortlessly escape from prison and enter a blizzard where a plane is hiding to whisk him away on his next mission.
Craving for more of the decidedly R-rated “Kraven the Hunter?” Then again, this is a movie coming out in a week (December 13, 2024, to be exact), so you won’t have long to wait.
