Kraven The Hunter (2024) Review

Over the last few years, we have seen Sony attempt to make their own shared universe using Spider-Man villains and here is their latest and probably last attempt for the time being - Kraven The Hunter. With a lack of interest, I found the will to go and watch the film today and here is my review. The premise of the film sees after receiving super powers, Kraven goes on the hunt after people that do bad deeds. 

Main Character

Aaron Talyor-Johnson plays Kraven and unfortunately he is incredibly boring in the role. He just seems to not really care about the role and that he is sleep walking through it just to get his pay check. I always thought he was a weird choice for the role and that is what came to pass. A big issue is the writing, the people who wrote this film know nothing about the character and changed him so much that he doesn't even feel like Kraven anymore and that is a big shame. 

Supporting Characters

Fred Hechinger plays Dmitri Kravenoff and he does a decent job here. This film is built on family and the family relationships here and pretty much all of the heavy lifting comes from Hechinger and the next actor I will mention. 

Russell Crowe plays Nikolai Kravenoff and though he has a slightly silly accent it works and Crowe shows he has star power. He is clearly the person who really cares about the film and his role which hasn't always been the case so credit to him for that. 

Ariana DeBose plays Calypso and she is the most useless character in this film and I don't know why she was included. It just seemed like they needed a companion for Kraven, she never helps him and there is no real development and backstory for her character. 

In the trailer it was revealed that Alessandro Nivola would be playing Aleksei Sytsevich AKA The Rhino, but this was not a version of The Rhino that comes across well at all. He is a bit of a weirdo and that actor really overplays it, it just feels nothing like the character in the comics which adds to the idea that the people making this film didn't really understand the characters. 

Story

The story is completely nonsensical and is awful. They are forced to turn Kraven into this hero for justice which goes against the traditional nature of the character but the film is just dull and convoluted. They spend 30 mins trying to explain how he got his powers but they do it in such a poor way that I still don't understand it. The film rushes way too much and doesn't explain any of the characters and why I should care about what is going on. 

Script

The Script is really bad. It tries some really bad humour, they try and make Kraven a bit funny which is again not like his character in the comics but none of it works and Taylor-Johnson doesn't deliver them very well. I didn't care about any of the characters or the situation they are put in and that makes it feel pretty lifeless. 

Style

The film has some entertaining action sequences and a big part of that is the level of violence incorporated which makes it stands out, which is funny that is R-Rated but none of the Venom films were. But some of the action scenes are very short and just as they get going they stop and the CGI is pretty terrible throughout, especially that of Rhino, who looks like a cartoon character. 

Overall 

Overall, Kraven The Hunter is a really bad film. It has everything poor about it in a comic book film and it should never have been made. The action isn't good enough and the characters are not well realised leaving this an utter mess and one of the worst comic book films that you will ever see. 

Rating - 2/10

 Moana 2 (2024) Review

After a big release in 2016, we now have the sequel for the hit Disney animated film Moana. I watched the film today and here is my review for Moana 2. The premise of the film sees Moana forced to go on a journey to unite the people of the ocean. 

Main Character

Auli'i Cravalho plays Moana and she is great again as she was in the first film. She has a bit more of an arc in this film and Cravalho does deliver in this role. Moana is a great lead character and one that is pretty easy to root for and care about. 

Supporting Characters

Dwayne Johnson is back as Maui and though his role is slightly reduced he is still really fun to watch and he is also given a bit more depth towards him. He just oozes charisma on film and Maui is a great character. 

Unfortunately, the rest of the cast really does suffer. This film sees Moana take on a crew of characters called Moni, Loto & Kele but they are all pretty boring and offer very little in this film except being a reason for Moana's development which is a shame. 

There is a villain, but they are really underdeveloped and it just doesn't have enough to really make you care or understand them. 

Story

The story is okay, there is some better development for Moana & Maui in this film which I can give credit to. But overall, similar to the original this film is incredibly paint by numbers and doesn't offer much new. In fact if you examine it, the plot of the first film and this one are pretty much identical and it did make me sigh and notice the predictable nature of the film. 

Script

The film probably does have a bit more drama to it but in the end it does come across as a bit forced and lacks the stakes to deserve it. Also the humour just doesn't have the same feel to it here and definitely feels like it has been dumbed down to younger children. 

Style

The film continues to look beautiful, the colours are really well realised and it is lovely to see such fantastic animation on the big screen. However, the pacing is a little bit off and there were some large lulls in the film. Also the songs are just not as good here, the departure of the great Lin Manuel Miranda is sorely missed. 

Overall

Overall, Moana 2 is an Above Average Sequel. It is a decent film and will fill its job of being great for young children and families. But it doesn't do enough to make it stand out and lacks the joy and feel of the first film which means this a less enjoyable time. 

Rating - 6/10

Moana (2016) Review

I am going to see Moana 2 tomorrow, so I thought it would be a good idea to finally find the time to watch the original film and review it here. Well, now I have done that and here is my review for Moana. The premise of the film sees a young girl attempt to find a demigod to try and stop a curse on her people that he caused. 

Main Character

Auli'i Cravalho plays Moana and she is great in this film. This character was strong, smart but also funny. She was a great protagonist for this film and I think it was the perfect time to have a great character for young girls to root for and see succeed without any love interest to be seen here. 

Supporting Characters

Dwayne Johnson Plays Maui and he brings all his charisma and enjoyment to the role and he was a blast to watch. The film mostly focuses on the dynamic between Maui & Moana and Johnson added a lot to this and the dynamic between the two of them is a great highlight. 

The rest of the cast aren't in this film much but a big part of the film is Rachel House who plays Gramma Tala. Their is a really sweet relationship between her and Moana and it really catapults the films plot well. 

Temuera Morrison plays Chief Tui and he is good in his role. We see how he is an overprotective father but also the head of his tribe and how the two things kind of conflict and leads Moana onto her journey. 

Story

The film does an effective job with showing Moana on this journey and having Maui along for the ride with them continuously interacting. However, the film is a bit generic with its storytelling and I don't think it does quite enough with its characters to make me care enough unfortunately. 

Script

The script is alright, I chuckled throughout the film and some of the drama is really well handled. But as I mentioned above, the film doesn't quite do enough with the writing of the film or the characters to make them really stand out. 

Style

The film looks beautiful, it really nails the colour pallet and makes it come across as this beautiful and exotic place. The animation is really well done and the film flows very nicely and didn't overstay its welcome. The film doesn't have loads of songs but the ones it has are great and memorable. 

Overall

Overall, Moana is a great film that delivers as a fun family friendly film. It isn't exactly ground-breaking but does enough to keep you interested and entertained throughout. 

Rating - 8/10