Movie Review – Predator: Killer of Killers
Principal Cast : Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, Michael Beihn, Doug Cockle, Damien Haas, Lauren Holt, Jeff Leach, Piotr Michael, Andrew Morgado, Alessa Luz Martinez, Felix Solis, Britton Watkins.
Synopsis: Three of the fiercest warriors in human history become prey to the ultimate killer of killers.
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Off the back of blazing critical success for 2022’s revitalising Predator franchise entry Prey, director Dan Trachtenberg has ostensibly been given the keys to the kingdom by 20th Century Studios – now a subsidiary of Disney – to course correct waning public interest in the classic 80’s action IP. 2025 marks the first time two feature films involving the Predators will land for the audience in the same calendar year; the first, Predator: Killer of Killers, is an animated anthology film available now on Disney+, while Predator: Badlands is due for theatrical release in November. Considering both Prey and Fede Alvarez’ Alien: Romulus both met with considerable praise in almost every market in recent years, it would appear that the Predator and Alien franchises have freed themselves of the creative doldrums they appeared stuck in, and have begun a resurgence to the classic sci-fi horror staples their earlier entries popularised.
Killer of Killers is a film told in four parts – the first three tell individual stories of Predator involvement in ancient Earth history, while the fourth builds upon the franchise’s modern predisposition towards connectedness between “it all”, offering a tantalising widening of the larger Predator species mythology thanks to this violent, daring animated opus. In 9th Century Scandinavia, Viking warrior clan leader Ursa (voiced by Lindsay LaVanchy) is on a mission of revenge against a rival tribe when her clan – including her young son – is butchered by a Predator, leaving only her to fight to the death for survival in the icy, snowbound landscape of northern Europe. The second mini-story, set in 17th Century Japan, sees Samurai brothers Kenji and Kiyoshi (both voiced by Louis Ozara) competing for succession of their father’s house, when a Predator arrives to hunt. Initially beset by enmity borne of childhood tragedy, Kenji and Kiyoshi must team up to survive their fateful encounter. The third mini-story involves young American war draftee John Torres (voice of Rick Gonzales), who works as an plane mechanic aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean, when his squadron is ambushed by a Predator ship and decimated. Torres leads the fightback against all odds over the swirling seas. The climactic finale sees a group of human survivors transplanted to what seems to be the Predator homeworld, where they are forced to engage in deadly combat, the winner to fight an enormous Warlord Predator (Britton Watkins) for the right to survive.
Much like his hit entry Prey, Trachtenberg’s Killer of Killers entry into the Predator franchise plays like a carbon copy of its more successful live-action brethren. Trachtenberg seems to understand what makes Predator such an influential film in the action sci-fi genre; largely resting as a mano-e-mano battle between an unstoppable human in Arnold Schwarzenegger, and an equally unstoppable alien creature of inestimable power. Working within this fairly restrained story structure, Prey saw Amber Midthunder’s Native American character pit her considerable hunting skills against a far superior technologically advanced creature with tremendous verve and audience praise, paring away the militarised overkill of relatively recent sequels (like Shane Black’s The Predator, and Nimrod Antal’s competent yet forgettable Predators) to bring the franchise back to the kind of sweaty, edge of your seat survivalist thriller motif that audiences really attached themselves to. This anthology film sticks pretty close to this template for its majority, showcasing some tremendously animated human/Predator combat sequences that, as they should, really do ratchet up the tension simply in terms of who will survive and who will not. It’s a very savvy move by Trachtenberg and co-director Joshua Wassung, who, from Micho Rutare’s dynamic yet linguistically ineloquent screenplay, deliver one of the best entries yet into the series; and that’s saying a lot.
It should be noted that the animation in Killer of Killers is absolutely first rate. Notably taking its cues from modern cultural zeitgeist entries such as Netflix’ Arcane and Japanese classic Akira, Killer of Killers is fluidly made with a kineticism and wit that draws the viewer in. The character designs and landscapes, not to mention the vast array of visible and invisible visual effects on display here are nothing short of astounding, and I would argue that this kind of production opens up the franchise for bigger and more expansive ideas to come along in future. The sound design and music choices are excellent, and the pacing of the triptych to open the film is exemplary. Not a second of the film looks anything other than a painted masterpiece of comic influenced design and post-millennial crispness of form, and it manifests with the backing of what feels like expensive production values behind the scenes. Ben Wallfisch’s score is thunderous as needed, and a particular highlight.
Part of the fun is that the film just gives the audience what they want, nay expect from a Predator film; a Predator doing Predator-y things! Throw in a bunch of characters who by rights should be outgunned, outmuscled and outplayed, and you have a recipe for breathless violence, tremendously physical and bombastic action, and dynamic storytelling that doesn’t try to punch above its weight. The film expands Predator lore as well, connects up in a jaw-dropping way to Trachtenberg’s own Prey (and, by insinuation, all of the previous Predator films), and instigates that itchy, insatiable feeling in the viewer that demands to see where this story will take us next. Yes, it’s a rare franchise entry that actually makes us keen for another sequel – bless Trachtenberg for whetting our appetites for Badlands, because if that film is even half as good as this one? We’re eating well, folks. Predator: Killer of Killers is dynamite moviemaking and another notch-in-the-belt for Dan Trachtenberg’s so-far successful rebooting of this muscular franchise.
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