When Prey arrived in 2022, it was like a shot to the heart of the dormant Predator franchise. A longtime mainstay for sci-fi and horror fans, the series had floundered for decades despite attempts to revitalize it with 2010’s Predators and 2018’s The Predator (in addition to countless comic books). What filmmaker Dan Trachtenberg’s movie was able to capture was not only the spirit of the original movie, but Prey moved it into a direction that felt modern, never pandered, and which was able to fully stand on its own. The success of that movie has begat an expansion of Predator like never before, with not only the upcoming Predator: Badlands, a movie starring a Predator due in theaters this November, but the new Hulu original movie, Predator: Killer of Killers.
Predator: Killer of Killers, once again directed by Trachtenberg (co-directed with Josh Wassung), brings two big differences to the franchise formula that immediately make it stand out: it’s an anthology movie depicting multiple time periods, and it’s animated. By taking this segmented approach to the story, Killer of Killers is able to not only expand on the larger franchise in ways that singular movies have never been able to, but it also grants the fandom some wish fulfillment. The potential of Predator has long been untapped, with Prey breaking the dam open. Killer of Killers is able to dig into that foundation with new stories that are fresh and exciting, but also deliver new ideas that never quite feel like a retread of what has come before it.
Where Predator: Killer of Killers really stands out is that even though it’s an animated movie, it is an action movie first and foremost. The film makes full use of the environment that it’s set in and continues to depict each sequence like the camera is following its subject. The first segment in the anthology, “The Shield,” set against the backdrop of Norse warriors in 891 AD, utilizes this in a major way. One scene, in which the Predator is not involved at all, depicts an attack on an enemy village that is stylized like a “one-take” action sequence. The fluid movement of the characters as they slice their way through enemies in all its gory glory is shown off like a camera operator is standing right behind them, dodging the brain matter. It’s not only visually arresting, but it manages to keep the energy of the film alive in an unexpected way.
This is one of the core strengths of Predator: Killer of Killers that is displayed throughout most of the movie: each sequence is well developed and can fully exist as a storyline even without the Predator being involved. From a character standpoint, these are stories that are complete and interesting, meaning the eventual arrival of the Predator in each is like dessert arriving after dinner. The narratives are strong, thoughtful, and entertaining, even without the intergalactic hunter, so when they do pop up and make themselves known, their presence adds depth to a story that is already full of potential. It’s an impressive balancing act that Predator: Killer of Killers manages to pull off with poise.
All of this is on display at its best in the second segment, “The Sword.” In this story, a pair of brothers in feudal Japan are put on opposing sides of a deadly family conflict. Killer of Killers manages to make the build-up to their confrontation, as well as the eventual fight between them, so great that you nearly forget a Predator is watching and waiting for the right time to strike. And when the Predators strike in this movie, you know it. Fans who are eager gore hounds will certainly be satisfied by the twisted weaponry and slicing of human bodies that is shown. Chained weapons carve open skulls and reveal a brain bisected across its hemisphere, and a giant spear impales someone into a wall and opens up to separate their torso from their legs. It’s almost comical, Mortal Kombat levels of body dissection, but fans will be glad to finally see it in a Predator movie.
The third segment of the Killer of Killers anthology, “The Bullet,” brings the action to the Atlantic Ocean during World War II. A young man who wants nothing more than to fly in the sky and be a hero is grounded when the naval fleet he’s stationed with is attacked by an unseen foe in the sky. After two segments of hand-to-hand Predator combat, Killer of Killers knew the exact moment it had to jump around and keep mixing things up. A dogfight with 1940s airplanes against an intergalactic starship naturally does not go well, but this plays into another strength of Killer of Killers: the creativity of how the Predators take down their targets. One would assume laser canons or missiles from a ship, but that’s simply not dignified enough for the hunter ethos of the Predator, instead, it’s something much cooler visually that feeds into the larger story.
There’s a lingering surprise as well in Predator: Killer of Killers that I refuse to spoil, and though it is something that the movie builds to in a proper fashion, it’s also the place where it does tread water. Not only does the narrative stall to make its final points a little clearer, but it also causes the movie to bring in an Easter egg that feels less like a subtle nod and more like a gigantic spotlight. Prey handled this with precision, which makes the inclusion in Killer of Killers seem overthought by comparison. But in a movie that is as visually engaging as this, and unique to the franchise’s big picture, these are faults that amount to quibbles.
Predator: Killer of Killers not only continues a surprising trend by being another homerun for the franchise, but reveals that even a series that has been beaten down like Predator can thrive and prosper with the right level of care. The format of both anthology and animation work hand in hand here to not only deliver a satisfying exploration of the series but to give viewers something new. One hopes that Dan Trachtenberg doesn’t find himself chained to this franchise for the rest of his career, but if that’s what he wants to do and his ideas remain this exceptional and well executed, it’s something to be celebrated.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Predator: Killer of Killers hits Hulu on June 6th.
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