Animated acrobatic death machines dominate the action in a linked anthology of stories in a brisk motion picture.
Directed by Dan Trachtenburg (Prey, 2022; 10 Cloverfield Lane, 2016) with visual effects maestro Joshua Wassung (Masters of the Air, 2024; Cloverfield, 2008), Predator: Killer of Killers is a visually arresting animated anthology that is, as might be described in the quaint ‘old days,’ super-violent.
Trachtenburg’s two live-action feature films were both set in pre-existing universes, yet he found novel ways to expand the dramatic possibilities in each universe. In 10 Cloverfield Lane, he microsized and intensified the stakes by restricting the action to an underground bunker; in Prey, he moved the action to the world of the Comanche Nation, some 300 years ago.
What made Prey thrilling was the combination of a new setting, together with its stripped-down storytelling, featuring numerous breathless and speechless action sequences. Prey was considered an origin story, since it was set hundreds of years before events in Predator (1987), which spawned three sequels and two crossover films.
Predator: Killer of Killers takes the idea of an origin story and runs with it, with all three of its stories taking place before Predator (1987). (I imagine that, some day, we’ll have a true origin story, with Stone Age cavemen dealing with an onslaught of invading predators, just before The Sentinel from 2001: A Space Odyssey appears.)
The Predator universe is built around the idea of fierce warriors battling creatures from outer space that are bent on destroying humans. In Predator: Killer of Killers, the fierce warriors come from three vastly different historical eras of warfare: a female Viking raider protecting her son; a male Japanese ninja dueling his Samurai brother for rulership of their clan; a male American pilot defending Allied forces during World War II.
Each of the warriors is a savage killer, though each is justified in their own eyes for the murders that they commit. The film also sides with them as protagonists who are not innately murderous, but have developed into killers by circumstances beyond their control.
They are not inclined toward mercy or forgiveness; instead, their first instinct is to do whatever is necessary to survive, for themselves and/or for their people. In that sense, they could be considered heroic, although their tendency toward slaughter definitely pushes them toward anti-heroic stature.
The 2D animation favors a blockier style of character design, leaning heavily on primary colors: these are warriors, not poets, so the emphasis is on how they look in action, whether that be in flight or even standing still, poised for battle.
As noted at the outset, many heads will roll during the film, which makes sense in view of the warriors’ purpose in each story: there is no time for delicacy; better to slice off heads. It’s barbaric and brutal and murderously efficient.
Dan Trachtenberg is currently completing the upcoming live-action feature Prey: Badlands, which is due for theatrical release in November 2025. According to the official synopsis, it’s set “in the future on a remote planet.” Unofficially, it may be set on the home world of the Predators.
We’ll see where the Predators go in the future. For now, we can look to the past for lessons on dealing with them. Watch your head.
Predator: Killer of Killers debuts exclusively on Hulu on June 6, 2025.
Dallas Film Now. 