Jakarta. “Kraven the Hunter” is now out in cinemas. The Spider-Man supervillain gets a surprisingly good origin movie all thanks to the family conflict-focused plot and Russel Crowe's superb acting.

Directed by J.C. Chandor, the movie explores Kraven’s complex relationship with his ruthless father and his path to becoming the greatest hunter. Aaron Taylor-Johnson assumes the title role as the smug Kraven, who gains animal-like abilities after drinking a magic potion. The film starts with present-day Kraven trying to escape a Russian prison before cutting back to his past. 

In the lengthy flashback, the audience learns how Kraven gets his power, and most importantly, the family dynamics, which becomes the movie’s driving force. Seasoned actor Russel Crowe portrays Kraven’s estranged father Nikolai Kravinoff: a stony-hearted crime lord and the most quotable character in the movie. Kraven is awfully close with his half-brother and polar opposite Dmitri (Fred Hechinger). Unlike Kraven, Dmitri is physically weaker and still tries to win his father’s affection.

Despite being a Marvel movie, most of its action scenes are nothing to marvel at. The choppy CGI often makes the fighting sequences quite unbearable. The prison break intro does not really build the excitement. So action is not this hunter movie’s forte only when the assassin Foreigner (Christopher Abbott) shows up that the fighting scenes are actually enjoyable. 

One -- particularly for those unfamiliar with the Marvel villain -- might assume that “Kraven the Hunter” would focus on him going after illegal poachers, and that the dysfunctional family plot stops at the flashback. As it turns out, the story places more emphasis on the Kravinoff dynamics -- a well-made decision as the movie wants to show why Kraven is the way he is. It is also quite refreshing compared to the “save-the-world” plot commonly found in superhero movies. “Kraven the Hunter” really delivers what the poster’s tagline says: “Villains aren't born. They are made.” The well-delivered conflict made me forget the lifeless CGI animals.

Crowe really proves that he really is of a way higher caliber than the rest of the cast, including main star Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Nikolai never runs out of the most quotable lines in the movie, and Crowe really knows how to deliver each line. The audience can really feel his ruthless, cold aura through the big screen. 

“Kraven the Hunter” also gives a nice origin story to Dmitri of how the once-innocent boy turns into the master of disguise Chameleon. The two-hour-long “Kraven the Hunter” has its flaws, but the family conflict -- coupled with Crowe’s acting as the cherry on top -- makes the origin story worth watching.

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