Predator: Killer of Killers Review: The Franchise’s Otherwise Uneven Maiden Animated Anthology Boasts Stunning Visuals
Predator: Killer of Killers marks the decades-long franchise’s first foray into animation with Dan Trachtenberg, who spearheaded the back-to-basics Predator prequel Prey to its much-deserved return to form glory. Now co-directed with Joshua Wassung in his feature-length directorial debut, this animated feature, told in an anthology form, covers three chapters in different time periods. Just like Trachtenberg manages to find a fresh angle to explore the Predator universe by setting his movie during the 18th century era, we have interesting timelines from a Viking, a samurai, and a World War II fighter pilot.
It sure sounds like fun and intriguing to see these three different characters dealing with the Predators, the significantly advanced alien invaders who possess incredible skills in weaponry and hunting human prey. The animated anthology film begins with the Viking chapter called The Shield, focusing on a mad-as-hell, middle-aged 9th-century Norse warrior Ursa (voiced by Lindsay LaVanchy) and her teenage son Anders (Damien Haas) on a revenge mission to kill her lifelong nemesis.
The story somehow lacks the necessary dramatic tension for me to root for her journey, where she subsequently faces a bigger problem after a Predator appears to make things complicated. It was a missed opportunity because Trachtenberg and Wassung did a good job in the animation department, giving a unique sense of distinct video game-like visuals. Not to mention, it reminds me of something straight out of the animated series Arcane from Netflix. The action is both fluid and thrilling to watch, while Predator: Killer of Killers doesn’t shy away from all the brutality and graphic violence.
The second chapter — The Sword — manages to show some improvement with the feudal-era Japan setting that features two rival samurai brothers, Kenji and Kiyoshi (Louis Ozawa in a dual voice performance) engage in a fight-to-the-death sword battle. This particular chapter is almost devoid of any dialogue, relying heavily on a lyrical visual palette and body language to convey the inner rage and emotion. The ensuing sword fights are beautifully animated, while the subsequent presence of a Predator disrupting their rivalry helps raise the stakes.
The third chapter follows up with The Bullet, taking place in the early 1940s during World War II, as we are introduced to a young and ambitious Latino Air Force mechanic, Torres (Rick Gonzalez). He always dreamed of flying one day, and his opportunity finally arrived when he became a fighter pilot to battle against a formidable Predator spaceship.
The dogfight is easily the best action sequence in Predator: Killer of Killers, as we see how the resourceful Torres tries everything he can to outsmart the Predator in the dogfight. The period-era, Top Gun-like aerial battle is visually engaging that you can almost feel the adrenaline rush. The third chapter also includes another character voiced by none other than the perfectly grizzled Michael Biehn as the squad leader of the fighter pilots.
Anthology films, regardless of live-action or animation, can be a tough nut to crack, especially when it comes to consistency. Predator: Killer of Killers has its fair share of ups and downs, but at least, it doesn’t descend to the mediocre level. It’s still decent enough for a Predator movie, but after the better-than-expected Prey (and gave us the memorable Amber Midthunder‘s Naru, the brave young Comanche warrior) three years ago, I was expecting this one would maintain the same high quality standards.
Overall, Predator: Killer of Killers is best seen as an appetiser of sorts before the main course is set to arrive a few months later — November, to be exact, at the time of writing — with Predator: Badlands. That movie again has Trachtenberg calling the shots as the director.
Predator: Killer of Killers is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
