Kraven The Hunter's First Footage Has Taken Me By Surprise: Could This Be Sony's First GOOD Spider-Man Spinoff?

I had long ago lost all hope that Sony could create a decent superhero movie, but after seeing the first eight minutes ofKraven the Hunter, I’m cautiously hopeful again. Let’s be real, Sony’s reputation when it comes to the Marvel adaptations has been a lot more miss than hit. Yes, there were entertaining movies, and films that were so bad they are fun to watch, but for the most part, Sony has desperately struggled to produce anything even halfway decent in live-action.

Of course, it’s a totally different story when it comes to theSpider-Versemovies, but with shockingly terrible movies likeMorbius,Madame Web, andVenom: Let There Be Carnagein the rearview, the track record is less than stellar. I was excited aboutVenom: The Last Dance, but even that felt like nobody checked in to see if the movie was coherent or halfway sensible. But, withSony’s confident marketing move forKraven the Hunter, could this finally be the first good Sony live-action superhero movie?

Collage of two images of Kraven the Hunter

Kraven The Hunter’s First Eight Minutes Actually Looked Pretty Fun

Kraven The Hunter Gets Off To A Ferociously Good Start

Within eight minutes of watchingMadame Web, things felt slow and awkward. The same was true forMorbius. But withKraven’sinitial eight minutes of footage, itfeels like something very different to what has come from Sony in the past. For one, they are jumping straight into the action, with Kraven already an adult man who is on the hunt. Then, rather than stretching this single story out for the entire runtime, the movie resolves his first hunt, and his quick getaway in record time, establishing the efficiency and deadliness of the character.

Everything We Know About Sony’s Kraven The Hunter Movie

Here’s all the details and information known so far for Sony’s upcoming Kraven the Hunter solo film, featuring one of Spider-Man’s deadliest foes.

And while it’s not grounded in reality, with Kraven performing superhuman stunts, that isn’t the expectation for a superhero movie. The style, the pace, the dialogue, and Kraven’s own interactions all feel fun and exciting. It doesn’t feel like the same dark and grimy setting found inMorbius, nor does it lead the viewers down a long windingroad to nowhere likeMadame Web, and by that measure, it’s already taking the lead. And with all of this in mind, itfeels like a movie I can genuinely get excited about, but I’m still nervous Sony could let me down at the last minute…

Kraven in the wilderness in Kraven the Hunter

I’m Actually Interested In Seeing More Of Kraven As A Vigilante

Kraven Has An Interesting Character To Explore

One element that felt weaker when it came to these films was the development of the core characters. Cassandra Web seems like a dull and uninteresting person, who accepts being a hero and savior to three young girls, but does so grudgingly, which makes her less heroic. Then, as her story unfolds, it makes increasingly less sense. Michael Morbius, on the other hand, is a billionaire genius, who seems to only care about his situation, and he is generally unlikable. The issue for both of these characters was never about whether they did right or wrong, butif they were convincing and entertaining.

Kraven is a man who murders people swiftly, without any real anger, but he does it for the sport. His aggression is animalistic, and a tool to further accomplish his goals, and the eight-minute preview shows this aspect of the vigilante with extreme efficiency. He is a genuine character, pursuing a genuine passion and emotion whichnever really materialized for theother Sony Spider-Man Universe characters. But withKraven’snew focused direction, could this be the beginning of a new chapter for the SSU?

Kraven the Hunter Poster

The First Eight Minutes Looked Good… But Will The Full Movie Work As Well?

There Is A Full 2 Hours On Top That Needs To Be As Compelling As The Beginning

But, there is one huge caveat.Kraven the Hunter’sfirst eight minutes managed to powerfully and concisely bring this character to life in a way they have never been seen before.Aaron Taylor Johnson clearly got the character, and was able to channel that in his performance. But there is a lot more time to go than just the first eight minutes. The movie needs to take the pace and momentum established in the first eight minutes, and extend that throughout the entire thing to really sing, and be deemed Sony’s first great superhero movie in live-action.

What did you think of the first 8 minutes of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Kraven the Hunter?

Sony has surprisingly released the first 8 minutes of Kraven the Hunter. I liked the footage. While the movie does not present anything major in the scenes that are shown, Taylor-Johnson’s character is shaping up to be a cool one to follow. The R-rated action sequences are also handled well, so I’m keeping an open mind when it comes to Kraven, even if Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is not among my favorite franchises.

Typically, I have never had the biggest issues with the acting of the SSU, more the writing, direction, and editing. While the eight-minute sequence gives a sneak peek at what to expect in the movie, it is very possible that those are the best eight minutes of the runtime, and it is all downhill from there. Despite this, seeing the excitement and pride that Johnson has in introducing this clip, it feels as though there may be hope yet. So, I will approachKraven the Hunterwith cautious optimism, and I hope for once Sony can absolutely nail the movie.