Kraven the Hunter (4 Stars)

Despite having given this film a 4 star rating eleven months ago, I could hardly remember anything about it. Strange. So I checked my review, and it didn't help at all, because it was spoiler-free. As it should have been for a new film. Seeing it today was like watching it for the first time.

Sergei Kravinoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is portrayed as a hero, even though the film posters had a tag line that suggested he would turn to evil: "Villains aren't born, they're made". The posters were probably designed before the film was completed by someone who had no idea what the plot would be. Not everyone in Hollywood is competent.

Sergei is shown as a boy growing up with a father who was a ruthless drug dealer. He's supposed to follow in his father's footsteps and take over the business, but his conscience prevents him. He doesn't want to become the same as his father. He runs away from home, leaving his younger brother Dimitri behind. This plagues him for years, and eventually leads him back to his family home.

The film's villain is the Alexei Sytsevitch, a crook who's a deceitful ally of Sergei's father. He's the super-villain known in Marvel Comics as the Rhino. Apart from a certain physical resemblance he doesn't have much in common with the comic book character. In the film he's an intelligent criminal, but in the comics he's a simple minded brute.

In the course of the film Dimitri develops into the Chameleon, one of Marvel's oldest villains.

Kraven is a hunter. It's not a matter of him being attacked by the Rhino or the other bad guys. He tracks them down. 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson puts on an excellent performance as Kraven. The film didn't deserve to be a box office flop. Put it down to Marvel Fatigue. Is there a way for Kraven to be adopted by the MCU? I hope so.

Success Rate:  - 1.8

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