Predator: Killer of Killers ~ Review

The animated franchise spin-off has a long and storied history. Arguably the first franchise expansion into animation was the Star Trek animated series from 1973, followed by Planet of the Apes. This practice of turning hit movies into animation continued well into the 90’s with everything from Ghostbusters to the Toxic Avenger getting animated series.

In 2003, as the Wachowski sisters were prepping the production of the two Matrix sequels, they wrote and produced an anthology project comprised of nine short films from various anime directors set in the Matrix universe. The result was The Animatrix, and because it was so successful just about every franchise in the early 2000s had an animated film that went directly to DVD. Chronicles of Riddick, Van Helsing, and even The Dark Knight had one. The practice ended as the DVD/Blu-Ray boom receded.

Amazingly, despite having an action figure line meant for children in the mid 90’s, the Predator franchise has never had an animated spin-off. There was an Aliens vs. Predator anime produced around 2016, but it now sits moldering on a Disney hard drive somewhere as it was deemed unreleasable during the Disney/Fox merger. So, with all of this in mind, I went into Predator: Killer of Killers, expecting what would essentially be an inessential marketing tool for the upcoming Predator: Badlands. I love parts of The Animatrix and enjoy Dark Fury (that’s the Chronicles of Riddick animated short) – but I wouldn’t call either of them pillars of their respective franchises. However, Killer of Killers is an entirely different beast. This shouldn’t be shocking as co-director Dan Trachtenberg always flips the type of movie you’re watching on its head, starting with his feature debut 10 Cloverfield Lane.

What has always been fun about Predator, is how mutable the concept is. You can put the creature in virtually any genre and get a great story. A good Predator story works thusly – you pick a genre and then have the Predator (or Yautja if you will*) arrive to rip out its spinal column.

It seems simple; however, this formula has illuded most filmmakers over the franchise’s 38-year history. Either because creatives are chasing the highs of the first film, or simply wanting to make monsters fight each other. However, Trachtenberg understands how to make a good Predator story, as his 2022 film, Prey depicted a young Commanche warrior in 1719 taking on the monster. Now, because Trachtenberg placed a great character in the center of that story, he managed to make one of the best action movies of the past ten years -- Predator stuff aside.

Predator: Killer of Killers is an anthology film comprised of three segments, with a fourth concluding story. The first, titled “The Shield,” is set in the 9th century and follows Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy) – a Viking raider, and her son Anders (Damien C. Haas) on a mission of revenge to kill a brutal warlord named Zoran (Andrew Morgado). Think, The Northman but with a Predator. The mostly silent second story “The Sword,” takes place in feudal Japan, where twin brothers Kenji and Kyoshi (both voiced by Louis Ozawa Changchien) are in the midst of a battle when a Predator interrupts the proceedings. Think, Lone Wolf and Cub but...with a Predator.

“The Bullet,” takes us to 1942 with pilot Torres (Rick Gonzalez) grounded by General Vandy (Michael Biehn). However, when members of Torres’ squadron are picked off by a strange airship, Torres must fix up an old plane and defeat this aerial Predator. So, The Dam Busters but...you get it.

The fourth story takes these characters and throws them all together in a surprising situation that I won’t spoil here, but needless to say – it’s a blast to see as a longtime Predator fan. This segment has fan service aplenty but it all serves the story. And that’s the trick that makes Killer of Killers special. It feels more like Pulp Fiction or Sin City, and less like The Animatrix.

Trachtenberg, writer Micho Robert Rutare, and co-director Joshua Wassung make each Killer of Killers segment unique, drawing you into the characters and their respective worlds. This is even more surprising because the anthology format does not give them much time to explore every character or setting. However, Trachtenberg and Wassung use clever visual shorthand giving volumes of story with simply action.

Wassung's company, The Third Floor is primarily known for pre-viz work, but this is the company’s first full-length animated film, and the results are truly stunning. Each segment has a striking color scheme and different stylistic flourishes. The Viking segment has moments that come straight out of a Frazetta painting. The Japanese story evokes Blue Eyed Samurai and traditional Japanese painting. The action throughout is brutal, intense, and really fun.

One of the benefits of animation, as far as the Predator creature is concerned is that nobody has to worry about a human fitting into a latex suit. Creature designer Alec Gillis (who has worked on or designed almost all the Predator and Alien creatures over the years) has created three extremely cool Predators with unique personalities that match the segments. The Viking Predator is a huge hulking brute, like Grendel on HGH. The Ninja Predator is lithe and athletic. The pilot Predator feels like a hunter who overly relies on technology – something this franchise has never explored. This guy looks like General Chang from Star Trek VI, and it's pretty cool.

So, Killer of Killers is not just a franchise expansion, but a worthy addition to the Predator universe. I love that Dan Trachtenberg is the steward of this world now, and I cannot wait for November when Predator: Badlands releases.**

Killer of Killers is on Hulu now.

Three and a half out of Four Stars

*The term Yautja is the name for the Predator race. It comes from the novel Aliens vs. Predator: Prey from 1994 by father and daughter team Steve and Stephani Perry. The novel was an adaptation of the first Aliens vs. Predator comic mini-series. Killer of Killers marks the first time, Yautja has ever appeared on screen and not just in supplemental material (comics, novels, video games, etc...).

**I have spared my readers a long drawn-out treatise on the Predator franchise. However, I suspect my review of Badlands be long and possibly overly personal…so stick around.