Kraven The Hunter

"Kraven The Hunter" is the action-packed, standalone story of how one of Marvel's most iconic villains came to be. Kraven (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), is 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. (Gary Reber)

Special features include five deleted and extended scenes (HD 04:14); four featurettes: "Becoming Kraven" (HD )05:00, "Beast Mode: The Stunts Of The Hunt" (HD 05:15), "Kraven's First Hunt: The Direction" (HD 05:11) and "Allies & Antagonists: The Killer Cast" (HD 05:52); outtakes and bloopers (HD 2:36) upfront previews and a Movies Anywhere digital copy.

The 2.39:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a VIZIO Quantum X P85QX-JI UHD/HDR display, was photographed digitally using the Arri Alexa LF and Arri Alexa Mini LF camera systems and sourced from a 4K master Digital Intermediate format. Settings are numerous, including Africa, a Russian prison, London and various set interiors. The overall picture is rather dark. The color palette exhibits naturally warm hues and realistic earth tones. Flesh tones appear natural. Contrast is crank down as, again, in most scenes the environment is darkish and shadowed. Resolution is generally good during closeups with detail revealed in facial features, structural features and object, and clothing. This is a dark visual experience that requires a dark viewing environment to fully experience. (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is full of atmospherics and sound effects. The hunts and violence are enhanced with sharp transient bass bursts and as well, bass extends to sub-25 Hx in the .1 LFE channel Sound effects include prevalent powerful gunfire wild buffalo stampedes, explosion, and other bass-infused transient effects. Thees numerous sound effects create excitement, The haunting orchestral score often serves as a background element rather than forward sounding. There are, however, times when the music projects powerfully forward. Surround envelopment is aggressive and prevalant. During some sequences helicopters feel as if they are panned overhead. Dialogue is intelligible but mostly ADR produced and wanting in spatial integration. This is a satisfying holosonic® soundtrack that delivers violent excitement. While a 4K Ultra edition would be definitely befitting of this title, Sony Pictures did not provide such for review. But based on the sound design a Dolby Atmos treatment would be superior as long as they fully activated the height layer. (Gary Reber)