Dragonlord’s Review of PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS (No Spoilers)
Bottom Line: Violent, gory and so much fun, Predator: Killer of Killers is not just a straightforward, action-packed viewing experience, it also introduces a new exciting game-changing element for future Yautja stories.
Do you remember that 2009 television program called
Deadliest Warrior that aired on Spike where each episode would pit historical or modern warriors against each other? The new animated film
Predator: Killer of Killers is kinda like that. From Dan Trachtenberg (
Prey), the animated film is an action-horror anthology featuring human warriors from different eras in history battling a Predator.
Set in Viking-era Scandinavia, the first chapter is titled “Shield” and features a Viking shield maiden leading her clan on an expedition to get revenge on a tribe leader. The second chapter is titled “Sword” and is set in Feudal-era Japan where two brothers, one is a Samurai-type while the other is a Ninja-type, settle their family dispute. The third chapter titled “Bullet” which takes place in the Atlantic Ocean in World War II where a mechanic-pilot goes up against a mysterious aircraft that is annihilating his squad mates.
"Shield" and "Sword" are easier to digest for fans, but if I may defend the "Bullet" storyline for just a second. For almost 40 years, we have been accustomed to the same set-up of a Predator hunting and fighting people on land. Thinking outside the norms of convention for
Predator, "Bullet" showed us something new, a Predator hunting in the air! The Predator ship's offensive weapons are basically an extension of their hunting methods on land with cloaked capabilities, spiked chains/harpoons and molten net. It answers a question (that no one asked for lol), "What would a Predator hunt on air look like?" And it delivered.
All three stories are short and very satisfying to watch by themselves but they later reveal that each of them connect in a way that introduces a new element to the
Predator mythology that is absolutely a game changer in telling future stories. My earlier statement about comparing the film to
Deadliest Warrior is even more apt. Special mention goes to the Predator Warlord who just looks like a cool, badass motherfucker with his large, intimidating frame and cool cape adorned with alien bones and spinal cords.
The action is well-choreographed and the kills are creatively brutal which we have all come to expect from a
Predator story. The artwork is clean and gorgeously detailed and the animation style, which is in the same vein as
Arcane and
Spider-Verse films, creates a vibrant visual flavor. The low FPS (frames per second) is a bit inconsistent with some at 20 FPS and others at what seems like 10 FPS, but overall doesn’t really detract from the total viewing experience. Adding to the fun is the inclusion of Alan Silvestri's unforgettable
Predator score.
There are no big names in the voice cast but I did notice Louis Ozawa Changchien voicing the Japanese brothers which is cool because the actor was also in
Predators (2011) where he played a Yakuza enforcer. It was also nice knowing Michael Biehn was part of the voice cast since I am a forever fan due to his earlier works in the 80s.
Part of me believes that
Killer of Killers would have translated well into live-action. But after thinking about it, there are facets of the animated movie that might be difficult to pull off in live-action. The production budget would have to be at least $150 million and the action scenes and fight choreography would have to be immaculate. There’s also the upside of being an animated film, it is less scrutinized by the viewers. Feats of incredible physicality and breaking the laws of physics are more digestible in animated form.
But if this was in live-action, I would cast Hannah Waddington as Ursa, Andrew Koji as Kenji and Anthony Ramos as Torres.
There are several Easter eggs scattered in the film. One notable callback is the appearance of the Spanish-made flintlock pistol belonging to French voyageur Raphael Adolini from 1715, that also appeared in
Prey, which could suggest that
Killer of Killers takes place before the events of
Predator 2 (1990). Then the biggest Easter egg is the reveal at the end that
there are hundreds of species, most likely have killed a Yautja in the past, are cryogenically frozen and one of them is Naru, our young Comanche heroine from Prey.
To elaborate on my game changer statement,
I mean that with the introduction of the suspended animation element, the franchise can essentially get any human warrior, real or fictional or an unknown, from history to be in future stories. They could (and should) even use fan-favorite characters like a prime Dutch Schaefer or other pre-existing characters like Mike Harrigan, Royce and Quinn and transplant them to modern times or even in a future timeline.
Prey (2022) was generally well-received with many praising the film for its action sequences, strong lead performance, and return to the series' roots. Now we have
Killer of Killers which absolutely nailed its assignment. And then there’s Dan Trachtenberg’s live-action
Predator: Badlands movie coming out later in 2025. Coupled with the surprise hit
Alien: Romulus (2024) and the upcoming
Alien: Earth series from Noah Hawley which looks so promising, what a time to be a
Predator and
Alien fan once again.
RATING: 8/10
IS IT WORTH STREAMING?: Absolutely yes, especially if you are a
Predator fan. One of the better
Predator stories on screen and clocking at a brisk 90-minute runtime,
Killer of Killers is a simple, super-fun action-horror viewing experience and builds up the
Predator lore further.
