MOVIE REVIEW: KRAVEN THE HUNTER

 

Kraven's complex relationship with his ruthless father starts him down a path of vengeance, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.

Director: J. C. Chandor

Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, Fred Hechinger, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott, Russell Crowe

Release Date: December 13, 2024

Genre: Action, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, and language.

Runtime: 2h 7m

Review:

Kraven The Hunter manages to be a halfway decent crime drama until it remembers it also must be a comic book story which drags down the whole experience.  J. C. Chandor does his best to deliver an engaging story highlighted by some decent action sequences.  Unfortunately, he's fighting some terrible headwinds with a terrible script, shoddy CGI and a goofy collection of characters that he must wrangle together.  The fact that he manages to deliver something more coherent and watchable than Madame Web or Morbius is something of a small moral victory for him and his cast.  That being said, there's so much clunky dialogue and bad accents thrown onscreen that you are left with a decision to either check out or just go with it.  The incredibly talented cast does the best they can with what they are given and occasionally manage to find some depth in their characters.  Aaron Taylor-Johnson makes great use of his good looks and chiseled frame in the central role.  He is solid enough to make it all watchable, the script doesn't really ask much from him, even though his accent rotates between bad Russian, non-descript and his native British.  Russell Crowe, sporting an equally bad Russian accent, chews up every bit of scenery as Kraven's gangster father.  Crowe and Taylor-Johnson have some fun chemistry together which the film would have been wise to focus on instead of Alessandro Nivola's Rhino.  Christopher Abbott shows up as supporting villain who’s also more interesting than The Rhino which makes you wonder why the latter is the main villain in the first place.  Ariana DeBose, whose name is Calypso as the film reminds us of every five minutes, is given the thankless supporting role that doesn't give her much to do outside of randomly giving Kraven his powers and shell out some exposition.  Ultimately, Kraven the Hunter isn't laughably bad like some of the other entries in this strange Sony spinoff universe but inherently forgettable.

C

MOVIE REVIEW: GLADIATOR II

 

Years after witnessing the death of Maximus at the hands of his uncle, Lucius must enter the Colosseum after the powerful emperors of Rome conquer his home. With rage in his heart and the future of the empire at stake, he looks to the past to find the strength and honor needed to return the glory of Rome to its people.

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi, Connie Nielsen, Denzel Washington

Release Date: November 22, 2024

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama

Rated R for strong bloody violence.

Runtime: 2h 28m

Review:

Gladiator 2 marks Ridley Scott's return to ancient Rome's fighting pits with massive action set pieces that are dazzling and entertaining, but the story never finds its own footing as it is content with hitting the same beats as the original.  Twenty four years after his Oscar winning original Ridley Scott is still a master of creating massive set pieces with a heavier emphasis on maritime action here.  The battles are wonderfully staged and appropriately bloody and chaotic as Scott ups the ante in terms of cinematic mayhem.  These moments deliver the kind of thrills you'd expect from a legendary filmmaker returning to one of his most loved creations but it does beg the question as to why the story feels like an afterthought.  The plot seems to twist itself into all sort of illogical contrivances to make Maximus's son follow the exact same path as his father.  It would be excusable if it had something new, interesting or revelatory to say but its pretty much the same "Dream of Rome" tagline from the original.  It makes everything feel like a hollow facsimile of the original which is hammered home with clips of that film being inserted throughout.  Paul Mescal has the unenviable task of stepping into Russell Crowe's shoes here and sadly he can't match the screen presence or intensity he brought in the original film.  Mescal does his best but he's generally the least interesting character onscreen as we follow him go through the same trials as Crowe's Maximus, he even has a dead wife he wants to meet in the afterlife to boot.  Suffering a similar fate are Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger who have to step into the emperor role which Joaquin Phoenix memorably played in the original. In spite of their best effort, neither can really bring the sort of dangerous depravity needed to make for a memorable antagonist.  Pedro Pascal fairs better with a measured turn as a general who is ready to lead a revolt.  The film wouldn't have fared better if it'd given his character more of a spotlight as there's plenty of moral grey to play with but the story never bothers to fully explore it.  Denzel Washington proves to be the film's saving grace as the only real movie star onscreen throughout.  Washington is clearly having a ball as he chews up scenery gleefully every time he shows up onscreen.  He bring so much enthusiastic energy to his performance that you easily overlook how clichéd the character and his motivations are written.  In another universe there's a better version of this story that would have focused on Pascal and Washington's characters and political aspirations and intrigue.  These kind of missed opportunities leaves Gladiator 2 feeling like a well constructed but ultimately soulless retread of far better film. 

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: NEWS OF THE WORLD

 

Five years after the end of the Civil War, Capt. Jefferson Kyle Kidd crosses paths with a 10-year-old girl taken by the Kiowa people. Forced to return to her aunt and uncle, Kidd agrees to escort the child across the harsh and unforgiving plains of Texas. However, the long journey soon turns into a fight for survival as the traveling companions encounter danger at every turn -- both human and natural.

Director: Paul Greengrass

Cast: Tom Hanks, Helena Zengel, Michael Covino, Bill Camp, Michael Covin, Fred Hechinger, Neil Sandilands, Thomas Francis Murphy

Release Date: December 25, 2020

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama

Rated PG-13 for violence, disturbing images, thematic material and some language

Runtime: 1 h 58 min

Review:

 News of the World is Paul Greengrass and Tom Hanks second collaboration and it couldn't be anymore different than Captain Phillips.  News of the World won't leave your nerves frazzled like that film and Greengrass pulls back his usual kinetic style in favor or a slower more pensive approach.  There are plenty of dusty vistas on display along with a plethora of scenic sunsets to appreciate throughout.  The story itself is a fairly basic conceit and this film is more about the journey than the destination.  Its easy to get some strong True Grit vibes throughout especially with Tom Hanks paternal but grizzled performance here. His Captain Kidd is a weather worn man whose haunted by his past, it's a measured and layered turn. Newcomer Helena Zengel turns in an impressive naturalistic performance which is the linchpin to the entire film.  Zengel and Hanks have a natural repour together and they serve as the lifeblood of the film.  Their relationship is central to the entire film even though you won't find many surprises as the film plays out in a fairly predictable path.  In their trek they meet the kind of characters that typically populate these type of westerns with the good and bad guys being instantly recognizable.  News of the World isn't a film that's interested in trailblazing any new territory but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a well made western that feels like comfort food.

B+