The search for the next James Bond has been raging long before the franchises recent sale to Amazon — in fact, it was burning even before Bonds most recent on-screen appearance in 2021s No Time to Die. One of the names that has popped up most frequently on lists of potential 007s has been Aaron Taylor-Johnson. While the suggestion has been met with mixed reception, his career so far suggests hed be an excellent choice. And if you need proof, look no further than how brightly he shines in last years otherwise terrible Kraven the Hunter, which is now on Netflix.
Kraven the Hunter is the last entry in Sonys failed Spider-Universe project, and it sends the series off with exactly the quiet petering-out it deserves. The film follows a strangely altered version of the classic Spider-Man villain Kraven. Like Morbius and Venom before him, hes made out to be something of a hero here, as the protagonist of his own movie. In this case, Kraven is the son of a Russian gangster — played by Russell Crowe, doing his latest preposterous accent, but having substantially less fun this time — and uses his powers to hunt down criminals like his father. Eventually, he faces off against the Foreigner and Rhino, but none of it ever makes much sense, providing neither compelling drama nor enough action sequences to be interesting.
The one thing about the movie that does work is Aaron Taylor-Johnsons performance, and he doesnt even make the work look hard. Instead, he effortlessly brings humanity to Kraven, a character thats otherwise just an empty IP-shaped hole in the middle of the movie. In Taylor-Johnsons hands, though, Kraven has a million tiny moments of humanity that shine through his outer shell of hunting skills and weapons prowess.
In one of the movies most surprisingly effective moments, Kraven goes to visit a childhood acquaintance at her office out of the blue immediately after Kravens brother is kidnapped. In the script, Kraven is fairly blasé about the whole thing, hardly acknowledging how strange it is that he went to someone he barely knows for help. But Taylor-Johnson gives Kraven an unspoken panic that sells the strangeness of the scene completely. He plays the emotion as totally foreign to Kraven, but still just as brutal and wild as everything else he does, shaking and seething at the fact that hes suddenly encountered a type of fear he cant control.
Image: Sony Pictures EntertainmentTaylor-Johnsons performance fills the movie with these tiny moments of fascinating humanity, all communicated as tiny holes in Kravens otherwise impenetrable wall of cool brutality. He even manages to sell some of the scripts worst jokes and zingers with tossed-off little laughs to himself, giving the impression that Kraven is the type who doesnt care if you think his jokes are bad, as long as he gets a laugh.
In other words, its pure movie star shit, pulling a winning performance out of thin air despite everything around him being bad. Meaning no disrespect at all to James Bond movies (a franchise I love, warts and all), this is exactly the quality an actor needs to succeed as the worlds most famous spy. Not because the material around him is bad, but because elevating the material with star power is what makes the series special.
Bond is largely not a character, at least on the page. This isnt an insult to Bond — its part of the beauty of how the character and franchise are structured. He has characteristics in each movie, sure, but its mostly up to the actor to bring life to his version of 007, building him into the unique picture of suave Britishness the franchise is built on. Kraven is also not a character on the page, which I do mean as an insult to Kraven the Hunter. Despite that fact, Aaron Taylor-Johnson imbues Kravens bland emptiness with charm, charisma, fear, doubt, and genuine humanity without any help at all from the movie around him.
Image: Marvel Entertainment/Everett CollectionAnd its not the only time hes done this. Consider for a moment his excellent performance in 2014s fantastically underrated Godzilla reboot. The character hes stuck with in that movie has no real characteristics at all, outside of having a kind of tense relationship with Bryan Cranston and being married to Elizabeth Olsen. Despite that fact, Taylor-Johnson gives the character heart and presence with barely any meaningful dialogue. He communicates so much through the way he carries himself and his seemingly infinite supply of subtle glances and tiny smirks that communicate something deeper beneath his scripted silence.
In fact, Taylor-Johnsons filmography is full of unexciting parts hes turned into something more memorable. Theres Bullet Train, Tenet, The Kings Man, Outlaw King, The Wall, Nocturnal Animals, Savages — all parts that he elevated beyond the simple material or minimal screen time. And thats exactly what Bond needs. If you dont believe me, just look at Daniel Craigs pre-007 career. Its an onslaught of mid action movies and forgettable blockbusters, each made infinitely better by his electric charisma — and remarkable hotness, something Taylor-Johnson also shows off in spades in Kraven.
Just to double back to an important point here: None of this is to say that Kraven the Hunter is particularly good. It isnt. It is, however, a tremendous testament to Aaron Taylor-Johnsons fantastic screen presence. And if that part of the movie is a preview of James Bonds future, maybe 007 can survive Amazon after all.
Kraven the Hunter is now streaming on Netflix.
