I must say I’m sitting here in a bit of awe at how much I liked Predator: Killer of Killers, the surprise new animated anthology film coming to Hulu and Disney+. Spearheaded by Dan Trachtenberg, who directed the fantastic Prey a few years ago, is really here to put an authorial stamp on this franchise. Trachtenberg teamed up with Micho Robert Rutare to craft this tale of three different people throughout history on Earth who have faced Predators.
The stories range from a Viking mother on a revenge quest with her son to a battle of honor between brothers in Japan, featuring a ninja versus a samurai, through to a surprising young mechanic who wants to be a fighter pilot in World War II. Each story moves with nice pacing that doesn’t give you a chance to lose focus. The animation style is reminiscent of Arcane, with a slightly rougher edge — more grit and texture to the characters and the world. It also plays with its visual aesthetic, with explosions being very flat in its rendering and use of color. It makes things pop on the screen when they do happen.
The design of each Predator is very fun, with new interpretations of how these beings look, from big, huge tanks to tall, lanky stealth warriors to deadly-looking sky pirates. Each Predator fits perfectly with the human opponents they face. Each feels like an overwhelming force that brings out the best feelings of the first and second films. On paper, Vikings vs a Predator sounds cool as hell, and the filmmakers executed it with flying colors.
The film connects at the end by tying all three together in a situation that opens up the Predator universe in new ways that I sure didn’t expect. The voice acting is quite good, but it didn’t wow me, and that might be because the first part is in Viking speech, and the Japanese section was just good. Still, it didn’t really resonate with me after many years of watching Anime, films, TV, and playing games. I’m just as comfortable hearing Japanese as I’m hearing English. I think the US section has the most actual dialogue, as the other two are more silent and focused on survival.
I do think the Viking and Ninja characters will outshine the American soldier character, but his addition going into the final major act of the movie will probably sell him to the audience better. While I don’t think this movie will work for all audiences, I believe people who enjoy cool animated action films will love it, and Predator fans will devour it. Overall, the movie is just cool, and it gets you excited to see more Predator stories. I hope they continue to make more of these. Predator: Killer of Killers is the right thing to get everyone excited for this franchise and ready for the next live-action film later this year.
Score: B+
