As the first R-rated movie in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, it makes me sad thatKraven the Hunterdidn’t take advantage of that fact more often, only earning that rating for a few scenes. TheMarvelvillain finally made his live-action debut in his titular movie, but failed to garner much goodwill, asKraven the Hunteris one of the lesser outputs from the SSU. With a relatively lighter schedule ofMarvel movies in 2024, it’s a shame thatKraven the Hunterended the year on a lackluster note, as fans look towards 2025 and beyond.
Alongside the poor critical reception to the movie,Kraven The Hunterflopped at the box office, making it a sad conclusion to the franchise given thatSony’s Spider-Man Universe is coming to an end. One of the biggest draws for the film prior to release was that it would be rated R - the first for an SSU movie - but the film didn’t utilize that R-rating properly, as only a handful of scenes even tried to do anything with it. Given how comparatively few R-rated comic book movies there are, this aspect of the film is all the more noteworthy.
Kraven The Hunter’s R-Rating Was A Unique Selling Point For The Movie
Given that Kraven isn’t necessarily as well known as the likes of Venom, Green Goblin, or other top-tier Spider-Man villains,the biggest drawKraven the Hunterhad going for it was its R-rating. Not only was it going to be the first (and evidently last) movie in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe to receive that rating, few mainstream Marvel or DC movies ever attempted to be R-rated, with PG-13 being the standard for most superhero fare. Over the years, there has been a market for more adult-skewing comic book projects, andKraven the Huntercould have used it to set itself apart.
Kraven the Hunteris a serious, action-oriented R-rated superhero movie, which doesn’t really happen much, outside of something likeBlade.
Jokerand the Deadpool franchise showed that R-rated superhero movies could be incredibly successful, butKraven the Hunterhad the chance to do something different from either of those as well. WhereJokerwas a drama with moments of intense violence, and the Deadpool franchise is so gleefully over the top with its own violence,Kraven the Hunteris a serious, action-oriented R-rated superhero movie, which doesn’t really happen much, outside of something likeBladeorLogan, which also arguably focused more on the drama than anything else.
Kraven The Hunter Seriously Underuses Its R-Rated Potential
Perhaps one of the more disappointing aspects ofKraven the Hunteris how it failed to use its R-rating in any significant way. For most of the action scenes, a tiny little bit less blood would likely have kept it on the same level, violence-wise, as most other PG-13 superhero movies, which opens up the questions about why Sony even decided to makeKraven the HunterR-rated. Restricting a sizable portion of the audience (in some capacity) could have paid off if the movie actually went all out with the violence to warrant an R-rating, but it ultimately doesn’t.
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It’s clear that Sony wanted to use the R-rating as a selling point, but it also appears this aspect was toned down overall, which, in turn, makes it feel all the more pointless. This is especially true given other R-rated comic book movies have set a high bar for what warrants this rating, withDeadpool & Wolverine’s own R-rating serving as a prime example of this. Instead,Kraven the Hunterfeels like a PG-13 movie with stuck in moments of an R-rated movie, limiting its overall impact and significance in the genre.
Kraven Wasted Two Obvious Moments To Lean Into Its Rating (& Some Less Obvious Ones Too)
It’s not like there aren’t moments whereKraven the Huntercould utilize its R-rating, because there are plenty.There are two obvious standout scenes that could have really leaned into the violence the movie was afforded. Perhaps the most clear of these is when Kraven’s half-brother, Dimitri Smerdyakov, is kidnapped by Rhino. There is a moment where Dimitri’s finger is severed, but it is tame in a way that undermines the impact of the scene, especially sinceSecret Invasionpulled off a more graphic version of the same type of scene a year earlier.
Alongside that, Kraven’s initial life-threatening injuries also appear remarkably tame given he obtains them via being mauled by a lion. Both of these moments could’ve arguably been enhanced by leaning further into the R-rating, both in terms of encouraging viewers to empathize with the two brothers, and in terms of ensuring their stories feel less like conventional superhero movie fare, and more like something different and distinct.
There are still moments of intense violence inKraven the Hunter, but they are mostly saved towards the end of the film.
As it stands, these moments appear watered down, and even Rhino’s death at the hands of Kraven feels like it could have been much more brutal in the way it happened. Violence isn’t always needed, of course, but both Dimitri and Kraven going through significant pain and violence throughout the film could have helped to make each of their corruptions hit even harder, and show how that violence changed them. Instead,Kraven the Hunterdidn’t utilize its R-rating in any significant way, making it a major missed opportunity.
Kraven the Hunter
Cast
Kraven the Hunter explores the origin story of Sergei Kravinoff, known as Kraven, as he navigates his tumultuous relationship with his father, Nikolai. This path of vengeance sets Kraven on a journey to become a formidable hunter with a reputation for fearsome brutality.
