Aaron Taylor-Johnson isn't new to superhero movies, having played the McU's Quicksilver in 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron, but Kraven the Hunter is his first opportunity to lead one, and while he turns in an entertaining performance, the latest installment of Sony's Spider-Man Universe never lives up to its potential. Previously, the movies in Sony's Spider-Man Universe have been a mixed bag. While Tom Hardy's Venom films have been generally well-received and done solidly at the box office, Jared Leto's Morbius and Dakota Johnson's Madame Web bombed in every way a movie possibly can.

For Kraven the Hunter, director J.C. Chandor took some big swings. The movie is violent enough to earn an R rating, which already puts it at odds with typical superhero fare. Most movies might earn a PG-13 rating for sci-fi violence, but ultimately they remain relatively family-friendly. Kraven the Hunter, however, features...