Plot: The anthology story follows three of the fiercest warriors in human history: a Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, a ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, and a WWII pilot who takes to the sky to investigate an otherworldly threat to the Allied cause. But while all these warriors are killers in their own right, they are merely prey for their new opponent – the ultimate killer of killers.
Review: In 2022, 10 Cloverfield Lane director Dan Trachtenberg reinvigorated the Predator franchise with the 18th-century-set Prey. By shifting the setting and protagonists away from a contemporary or future setting focused on the military, Prey focused on the alien race of predators and boosted the franchise in a new direction. With Trachtenberg’s next film, Predator: Badlands, hitting the big screen in November, his secret animated project, Predator: Killer of Killers, is debuting on Hulu this week. Offering an anthology approach to telling three new tales in the Predator franchise, Predator: Killer of Killers is easily the best entry since John McTiernan’s 1987 original. With an intriguing connective twist bringing the period-set tales together, this animated film sets up tons of new directions that Predator can go in the future.
Told chronologically, the first section of Predator: Killer of Killers is set in 841 A.D.. Titled “The Shield,” the opening story centers on Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), a Viking chieftain who seeks to avenge her father’s death. With her best warriors and her son, Anders (Damien Haas), Ursa encounters her target and a massive Predator seeking to eradicate the seemingly easy prey. As anyone who has played God of War knows, Vikings do not go down easily, and a spectacular fight ensues in the snowy Scandinavian setting. Like Prey, the historical period limits the technological abilities of Ursa and her cohorts, but it offers an exciting visual challenge on screen. The sequence, spoken in accented English, is an action-packed opening that clocks in just shy of twenty-five minutes before leading into the next chapter. I enjoyed this first story, and the animation offers a unique style that is not striving for photo-realism, but offers plenty of realistic violence and gore.
“The Sword” is set in Japan in 1629 and tells the story of Kenji and Kiyoshi, brothers being trained as samurai, where only one can earn the armor. Starting with them as children before shifting to their adult lives, the siblings, voiced by Louis Ozawa, barely speak any dialogue for most of the tale. The action is clear enough to follow the entirety of the narrative arc as the rift between brothers is interrupted by a Predator. Needing to battle the extraterrestrial foe, the brothers battle with their swords against the adept hunter, which offers a distinct visual feel compared to the previous section. Both work incredibly well at showing how these skilled fighters can hold their own against a foe with physical skills and tons of weapons. Ozawa, who previously starred in 2010’s Predators, does not need to deliver many lines, but when he does, they are perfectly performed. While the animation style is consistent, this story is tonally different from the first but connects nicely.
The final story, “The Bullet,” features Rick Gonzalez (The CW’s Arrow) as Torres, a World War II mechanic who yearns to be a fighter pilot. Under the tutelage of his superior officer Vandy (Michael Biehn), Torres encounters a Predator flying a cloaked ship, which begins taking down Allied planes left and right. Gonzalez gets to do the most voice acting as Torres cracks wise and describes the action taking place, leading the story to the final section that connects the three tales in a way that combines past franchise elements and the alien world setting of the upcoming Predator: Badlands. Each section of the film is just over twenty minutes, with the concluding act clocking in at about the same. I loved the ending of this film and what it represents for where the Predator franchise can go, both in animation and live-action projects.
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg alongside animator Joshua Wassung of The Third Floor, Predator: Killer of Killers was developed simultaneously with Predator: Badlands and keeps true to Trachtenberg’s promise to explore more of the franchise throughout history. Each of these shorts could have been expanded to a feature film, but they all would have posed logistical challenges in live-action. Predator: Killer of Killers keeps the momentum brisk while maintaining a cinematic feel by keeping the stories short and connecting them with an overarching frame story. With composer Benjamin Wallfisch giving his first score for an animated film, this movie never feels like a small effort and eschews the label often given to animated spin-offs. This movie always feels like a fully realized tale. Scripted by Micho Robert Rutare from a story developed alongside Dan Trachteberg, Predator: Killer of Killers is a well-rounded creation that gives audiences three evocative protagonists in a running time that countless entries in the franchise have failed to use as effectively.
I sometimes forgot I was watching an animated movie as Predator: Killer of Killers kept me glued for the entirety of the film. The four distinct settings are richly realized on screen, with the main character in each section more than capable of carrying the movie independently. If this film indicates how good Predator: Badlands will be, we are all in for a great close to the year. Predator: Killer of Killers is fun, violent, and action-packed, and gives us the best stories from any film in the franchise thus far. I also have not given you any hints as to the easter eggs and treats you have in store, but they are a treat that teases a very prosperous future for Predator fans. We have waited a long time to see this franchise get its due, and Predator: Killer of Killers is the sequel we have been waiting decades to see.
Predator: Killer of Killers premieres June 6th on Hulu.
Source:
JoBlo.com
