Thomas Storai 
Predator: Killer of Killers is an excellent anthology that presents three intense and brutal stories, accompanied by striking animation. However, the ending does feel rushed.
Predator: Killer of Killers is the latest entry in the Predator franchise, and this one is an animated film. It’s directed by Dan Trachtenberg and Micho Robert Rutare. This marks the second Predator film directed by Trachtenberg. His first one was Prey in 2022. The new movie releases tomorrow on Disney+ + around the world and Hulu in the US.
ANTHOLOGY FILM
Predator: Killer of Killers is an anthology film following three warriors throughout time – a Viking raider on a quest for revenge with her son, a ninja who fights his Samurai for succession in Japan, and a World War II pilot. Each story has its own style, giving voice to each of its characters. Although they approach the subject in different ways, at their core, the first two stories are really about family. It’s science fiction with Predators, but the Trachtenberg wanted his film to be grounded in our own reality and authentic. Indeed, the characters in each story speak their own language – the Vikings speak Nordic, the ninja and samurai speak Japanese, while the pilot speaks English and Spanish. On top of that, the places are all designed true to their time. It feels immersive.
It’s a Predator film, so there are Predators in each story, and they bring trouble for the warriors. Each of these Predators is fitted for the enemies they face. The action is raw with people being beheaded, limbs cut off… These stories are intense and brutal. They are all great in their own right, but the best two are the one in Japan and the World War II one. There is something poetic about the story set in Japan. There isn’t a lot of dialogue, but when the characters do speak, it is to convey something meaningful. Moreover, a samurai and a ninja fighting a Predator? It doesn’t get any better than this! The World War II story has some impressive dogfights, who doesn’t love that?
A RUSHED ENDING
Even though each of these stories is captivating, it’s the ending that fails. It does feel rushed. The film’s runtime is 84 minutes, and that’s not enough to wrap up everything. The ending is all over the place; it wants to say a lot of things, but it doesn’t have the time to do so. It’s a shame because the rest of the film is impressive. There is a lot to love about it. The ending is here just to set things up for a sequel rather than explaining what is going on.
VISUALS
Finally, this film has striking CG animation. Whether it’s the scenery or the character designs, everything is beautiful. Seeing what the crew has done with this film, one can only hope the Predator franchise will continue to explore the animation medium. With animation, you can do things you can’t do in live-action. Predator: Killer of Killers fully utilizes the potential of this medium, especially in its action scenes and the raw intensity they convey. The three styles of action scenes in each story are well-choreographed and animated, each with its own brutality.
VERDICT
Predator: Killer of Killers is an excellent anthology that presents three intense and brutal stories, accompanied by striking animation. However, the ending does feel rushed.
Predator: Killer of Killers releases June 6 on Disney+.
Collectables and Anime Editor for Future Of The Force.
Star Wars expert and Japan connoisseur.
