By: Hunter Montroy

Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg & Joshua Wassung

Cast: Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, Michael Biehn

When Shane Black’s The Predator came out in 2018, I really thought the franchise was going to be put on the shelf for being such a disaster. It was one of the worst films to release that year and, in my opinion, should be scrubbed from existence. A few years later, however, a man by the name of Dan Trachtenberg came along and directed 2022’s Prey—a beacon of hope for the franchise. Trachtenberg is like an angel coming down from the heavens to save it. Prey ended up being a massive success, both critically and on Hulu. From there, it sparked a sequel, Predator: Badlands, set to release later this year, and an animated feature, Predator: Killer of Killers.

Badlands is being directed by Trachtenberg, with Killer of Killers co-directed alongside Joshua Wassung. Killer of Killers is such a great addition to the franchise and makes for a fun, easy viewing experience. It’s a fairly straightforward story consisting of three main character storylines that ultimately come together. Those who love the Predator franchise will likely enjoy Killer of Killers, and casual viewers probably will too. It’s an easy popcorn flick that can satisfy viewers of all types.

The story follows three characters, each introduced in their own short segments before coming together in the third act. The first two stories are by far the strongest, with the film ending on a rather lackluster World War II setting. The segment titled “The Sword” is the standout in my eyes, thanks to its feudal Japan setting in the 1600s, because it doesn’t get much cooler than that. Hell, I’d love a full feature-length live-action Predator film set there. The segment titled “The Shield” follows a badass Viking warrior seeking revenge on a man from her past. She’s essentially an untamed beast and the most destructive of the three main characters. Lastly, we end on “The Bullet,” which follows a young soldier drafted into World War II who becomes a pilot. His character is obviously the most modern and is the one who basically wrangles the Viking and the ninja from killing each other later on.

Although I cared much less for “The Bullet” segment, it was still a good time and arguably a unique instance of seeing a Predator fight we probably wouldn’t get in live action. It was a cool twist to see a dogfight between a Predator and a WWII pilot.

The third act sees all three characters come out of cryosleep, which is how they’ve survived to the present—and tossed into an arena to fight to the death. They’re some of the strongest warriors to have defeated Predators in the past and are now being used for entertainment on the Predator homeworld. Eventually, they end up battling the main alpha Predator and hop aboard one of their ships, only to be hunted down once again.

The final scene feels like a setup for anything the writers might want to do next, showing rows upon rows of creatures and humans frozen in cryosleep. We end on the main character from Prey, and then the credits roll. There’s been some chatter about reviving the Alien vs. Predator premise, so this definitely feels like a hint in that direction—or at the very least, a build-up to a long list of legacy character returns.

Predator: Killer of Killers is a cool addition to the franchise and a fun evening watch. It’s not a spectacle or anything like that, but I’m so glad it exists. Releasing an animated feature while the franchise is hot is a smart move, especially with Predator: Badlands set to release in November.

Final Score 8/10