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The Intense Action Makes Up for a Convoluted Storyline in Kraven the Hunter (Review)

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The scenes were anticlimactic and resembled a Spider-Man sensation – instead being bitten by a spider and “with great power comes great responsibility”, Kraven is bitten by a lion and “power is about strength”. However, Russell Crowe’s rendition of a Russian crime lord and demanding father were menacing. For the most part, Aaron Taylor-Johnson held the movie together through wild animal style fighting scenes with a hint of dark sophisticated essence.

Early in the film, Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) demonstrates his superhuman strength in the prison scene, similar to another Marvel character Sabretooth from X-Men. During his escape, he finds himself locking eyes with a wolf in the midst of the snowstorm. The piercing stare gives the indication that Kraven has a spiritual connection with animals, which should be pleasing for animal enthusiasts. The flashback into the earlier years did not provide much background on the Russian crime lord Nikolai Kravinoff (Russell Crowe), merely that he is a demanding resentful father towards his sons Sergei “Kraven” (Levi Miller) and Dmitri (Billy Barratt). It seemed not much effort was placed in what should be an important key factor; when the young Sergei locks eyes with a ferocious lion, and the predictable outcome of how he obtained the animalistic superpowers from a magical potion given to him by a young Calypso Ezili (Diaana Babnicova), who undramatically runs to his rescue out of nowhere.

The scene abruptly cuts to present day; an adult Sergei, now Kraven, eliminates a poacher and his boss. This scene gives a boost of adrenaline, but quickly fades. The storyline gets muddled when Kraven teams up with adult Calypso (Ariana DeBose) to get justice on a list of corrupt individuals. The best action happens during the final scene – Kraven combating The Foreigner (Christopher Abbott) and Aleksei Sytsevich aka the Rhino (Alessandro Nivola). It gets intense with graphic action sequences – going back to the roots of Marvel Comics.

It was fun finding many Easter eggs connected to Spider-Man throughout the movie, from Kraven’s hallucinations with spiders to the mention of Miles Warren. The surprise twist revealing The Chameleon was a plus, better than watching Dmitri (Fred Hechinger) playing the piano and singing like Ed Sheeran.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson was good at delivering the grand image of Kraven. He does have the experience of playing a Marvel’s Avenger character, Pietro Maximoff – Quicksilver, under his belt. Although Kraven the Hunter did not have the elements of a successful Marvel film like Deadpool, it does have enough components to surpass Madam Web.

Sabrina - Kiddo is the newest member of Countdown City Geeks and is a contributor of movie and television show reviews. Her passion for film derived from her college days where her rhetoric-writing professor focused on the aspects of screenwriting and music lyrics. She also has a knack for saying movie quotes.

Movie Reviews

Yadang – The Snitch: A Surprisingly Riveting Crime Action Movie (Review)

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When a swift street smart Lee Kang-soo (Kang Ha-neul) finds himself in jail for being unjustly accused as a meth dealer, he encounters an eager prosecutor, Goo Gwan-hee (Yoo Hai-jin), who offers to reduce Lee’s sentence by having him work as a snitch, “Ya-Dang”. However, when it comes to sting operations and using Ya-Dangs, narcotics officer Oh Sang-jae (Park Hae-joon ) becomes suspicious of Goo’s techniques, and it appears he might be involved in a convoluted criminal network.

This South Korean film, Yadang – The Snitch, has a well written storyline with many exiting and unsuspected plot twists, from betrayal, corruption, to settling the score revenge. Director Hwang Byeng-Gug exercised good judgement not implementing exaggerated CGI’s and kept the action scenes interesting and grounded.

The trio of main characters had great development, with outstanding cast members giving flawless performances.

Promising actor Kang Ha-neul, best known for Squid Game 2, knows how to deliver a combination of dynamic action with humor. Kang was well-suited to portray the sharp dressed, charismatic Lee Kang-soo.

Yoo Hai-jin was impressive transforming his role and building the underlying forces, while Park Hae-joon maintained a well balanced role that rises to the occasion.

Besides the entertaining action, the traditional South Korean food culture was incorporated throughout many of the scenes giving it a delicious element – It left me craving those noodles! Also, the post credits were a nice dessert of laughter.

With absolute certainty this movie is fantastic, and I am hopeful for a sequel.

Yadang – The Snitch will be in theaters April 25, 2025, in the US and Canada.

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Movie Reviews

‘Good Boy’: An exceptional haunting film from a dog’s perception. – Review

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Have you ever wondered why your furry companion stares at the wall or barks when there is nothing around? In this independent horror film, it presents a possible explanation to why your dog behaves in a peculiar manner. Good Boy is a unique take on creating a horror film where the main character is Indy, an adorable loyal dog that will do what it takes to protect his human friend and not leave his side.

Indy made his grand entrance at the 2025 SXSW in Austin, Texas and captivated the audience with his handsome furry coat and charming face. Indy was trained by his owners Kari Fischer and Ben Leonberg, along with the help of a professional trainer. It took more than 400 days (over the course of a couple of years) to complete filming due to the specific commands and desired behaviors that Indy had to learn, but most importantly ensuring his comfort and safety.

You can watch the video here of Indy showing off his impressive skills during the Q&A with Ben Leonberg and Kari Fischer (aka dog parents).

The screenplay was written by Alex Cannon and Ben Leonberg, who also directed the film. They created a unique perspective of a horror film by developing the storyline from a dog’s point of view.

The film begins with Todd in his apartment looking catatonic with indications that he might be suffering from an illness. Indy is by his side and appears to be uncomfortable and restless witnessing Todd being lethargic. Todd decides to move out of the city to the family’s countryside home and takes his loyal dog, Indy, with him. It is here where the supernatural forces lurk in the shadows and Indy feels its strange presence.

The scenes have all those spooky elements a horror, suspense film should have – the dark rooms, chilling sounds, creepy shadows, and thunderous storms. There is even a mysterious cemetery that is part of the property. It is said that dogs have a sixth sense, and this film depicts the fear and concern from Indy that death may be lurking around.

If you are a dog owner or an avid dog lover, Good Boy will touch your emotions as you observe Indy’s faithfulness and courage to save his owner, Todd, from whatever entity haunting them.

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Movie Reviews

Dreambreaker: A Pickleball Story – Review

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This documentary film shines light on the sport of pickleball and the competition against leagues to cash in on the now popular sport. Two wealthy Texas entrepreneurs form rivals in professional pickleball leagues and feud over obtaining contracts on the world’s top players.

Austin billionaire Steve Kuhn, a hedge fund manager turned philanthropist, and sports mogul built Dreamland, an outdoor entertainment and arts venue in Dripping Springs, Texas located in the Hill Country. The site features 16 dedicated pickleball courses, miniature golf courses, and one state of the art music stage.

In 2021, Kuhn co-founded Major League Pickleball (MLP) and held tournaments in Dreamland. I was surprised to learn how this sport evolved into a franchise and attracted investors like Milwaukee Bucks owner Marc Lasry, and elite athletes like LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, and even Drew Brees.

Like in all investments and in sports there is always a competitor – here is where Connor Pardoe steps onto the court. Pardoe formed the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) back in 2018, which required the players to sign a one year exclusive contract and transformed the industry from a recreational activity to a burgeoning sports powerhouse. The PPA then gets a new player, investor Thomas Dundon a chairman and managing partner of Dundon Capital Partners in Dallas, Texas. Dundon extended the exclusivity contracts to 3 years.

This sporty film has the tournament founders going head to head, evolving the sport into social media influencers, and chasing the gold. It also stars John McEnroe, no stranger to sport action drama.

Pickleball fanatics and those curious about the sport will find this documentary interesting, maybe even have more people interested in participating in playing pickleball or as a spectator.

The documentary is produced and directed by Ashley Underwood and written and produced by Craig Coyne is set to premiere Friday, April 11 on truTV and also will be streaming afterwards on the Max platform.

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