KRAVEN THE HUNTER is the action-packed, R-rated, standalone story of how one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON plays Kraven, a man whose complex relationship with his ruthless gangster father, Nikolai Kravinoff (RUSSELL CROWE), starts him down a path of vengeance with brutal consequences, motivating him to become not only the greatest hunter in the world, but also one of its most feared.

For in-depth thoughts on Kraven The Hunter, please see my colleague Cameron Ritter’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Kraven The Hunter comes to Blu-Ray in its original 2.39:1 with a fetching transfer that is no slouch even knowing that there is a 4K version on the market. While certainly not as flawless as the 4K UHD likely is (it was not made available to me for review), there is a stellar amount of depth and clarity to the picture with discrete details coming through clearly. There is some inventive production design featured in the film along with loads of special effects which you can really take in with this transfer. There are numerous landscapes presented here with each location providing something exciting to explore.

The film deploys a reserved color palette for large stretches of the movie, but there are sequences of bold color saturation one can delight in. Skin tones all look very natural and provide a nice amount of facial detail in close-ups. Black levels hold up well with little in the way of black crush or noise. The handful of fleeting instances of noise and banding are likely cleaned up on the 4K UHD Blu-Ray, so if you are capable you should likely go with that option.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray release boasts a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that kicks into gear when it needs to. This disc brings these thrilling moments to life with a depth and clarity of sound that is just perfect. As the action ramps up, the sounds of crashing through objects and other raw effects flow out of your side and rear speakers. Each sound is precisely placed with perfect spatial awareness. The track engages all of the active channels with panning effects and sounds of chaos that really makes you feel like you are in the thick of the action.

The utilization of environmental effects comes through in a natural way. There is an exceptional amount of activity in the low-end which will keep your house shaking with every development. Dialogue comes through clearly without getting overshadowed by the score or any sound effects. Sony delivered on all fronts, so those with a good surround sound setup should have fun with this one. Although, if you really want fully immersive sound you will want to spring for the 4K UHD Blu-Ray which offers Dolby Atmos.

Special Features

Deleted & Extended Scenes: A brief selection of unused material is provided here.
Becoming Kraven: A five-minute featurette that looks at the transformation of Aaron Taylor-Johnson into the titular character.
Beast Mode – The Stunts of the Hunt: A five-minute look at the preparation that went into making the action sequences.
Outtakes & Bloopers: A nearly three-minute look at flubbed lines, malfunctioning props, and more.
Kraven’s First Hunt: The Direction: A five-minute piece that looks at the guiding hand of director J.C. Chandor and how he attempted to make this story his own.
Allies & Antagonists: The Killer Cast: A six-minute featurette that turns a spotlight to all of the supporting performers who make this feature such an enticing proposition on paper.

Final Thoughts

Kraven The Hunter largely suffers the same fate as most of the other Sony universe Spider-Man spinoffs. Kraven has such potential on film, yet there seems to be very little passion or vision behind the camera to make it all amount to something. The ridiculous amount of bad ADR is enough to know how little most cared to get this right for fans. Movies are made in the editing room, but you cannot completely manufacture a movie out of nothing but alternate dialogue. That being said, the level of hate for this one is slightly outsized. It is not good, but there are cool things we can appreciate amongst the mediocrity. Most of the ensemble is very talented and free from blame. Hopefully this character can get justice in the future. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation and a fine selection of special features. If you are a fan of the film and are capable, you might want to spring for the 4K UHD Blu-Ray but this Blu-Ray is rock solid.

Kraven The Hunter is currently available to purchase on Digital platforms. It will be available on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, and DVD on March 4, 2025.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.