Predator: Killer of Killers

Dan Trachtenberg’s new animated Predator movie will tide fans over until something more substantial comes along. Light on character, heavy on action and gory deaths, Predator: Killer of Killers presents an animated not-quite anthology where the iconic alien hunter faces off against some of history’s fiercest warriors. Conceived by Prey (2022) helmer Trachtenberg and Micho Robert Rutare (Z Nation) and written by the latter, the movie is a showpiece for elaborate fight sequences in a visual style reminiscent of Sony’s Spider-Verse movies. The conceit is little more than the realization of a nerdy conversation: Who would win in a fight between a Predator and a Viking? What about between a Predator and a samurai—or what’s more, a Predator versus a samurai and a ninja? How about in a dogfight between a Predator ship and a US fighter plane from World War II? Well, if you’ve ever wondered about these mashups, Predator: Killer of Killers explores them in a feature that only cracks 80 minutes with the end credits.  

Co-directed by Trachtenberg and Joshua Wassung (from the animation house The Third Floor), this Hulu original opens with three short chapters. In “The Shield,” a Viking matriarch protects her fledgling warrior son from a towering, bulky Predator attack, believing she’s fighting a version of Grendel from Beowulf. In “The Sword,” feuding brothers, one a samurai and the other a ninja, combine forces in the seventeenth century against a sleek, nimble Predator. In “The Bullet,” a young American underdog pilot proves his mettle by taking out a Predator ship. After their respective victories, each human victor ends up shackled on a Predator transport, apparently cryo-frozen until the aliens can deliver their human cargo to an arena planet, where the Predators force them into a deathmatch. And that’s about all there is, story-wise. An abrupt and unsatisfying ending sets up further adventures. 

20th Century Studios kept the production under wraps after Trachtenberg revived the franchise with Prey, about a Comanche tribe battling the hunter-alien on the Great Plains in 1719. The movie amounts to filler or connective tissue between Prey and Trachtenberg’s next live-action installment, Predator: Badlands, due this fall. Predator: Killer of Killers is to the Predator franchise what 2003’s The Animatrix was to The Matrix trilogy, bridging major live-action features with a passable animated one. Still, it’s composed of painterly and kinetic visuals, and given that it’s a minor commitment, it’s easy to recommend. Predator: Killer of Killers looks as good as, if not better, than most animated films in theaters today. The characters appear tactile and inhabit luminous and dynamic environments, with a comic-book style recalling the appearance of Telltale Games’ productions. However, the characters lack much dimension, and the plot seems catered to gamer sensibilities. My wife, hearing the movie from the next room, remarked, “It sounded like you were playing a video game.” Had a controller been in my hand, I may have been more engaged.