Every December, there comes a hero to save us all from prestige awards-season movies. Too much thinking? Need to turn off your brain? Never fear, “Kraven the Hunter” is here, a big ol’ side of comic book beef with no contemplation required. For some, it may be just what the doctor ordered for a mid-December mind vacation.

In retrospect, 2024 could have been the year for Sony's Spider-Man Universe (an accepted moniker despite the fact that the beloved wall-crawler never actually appears in any of the films). With the Marvel Cinematic Universe releasing only one blockbuster due to the Hollywood labor battles in 2023,

As a movie, "Kraven the Hunter" marks the beginning of the endgame for Sony's Spider-Man Universe, and you can just about feel that in the way Kraven's minor enhanced abilities turn him into little more than a generic comic-book bruiser.