Predator: Killer of Killers Review
‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ is the next film in the ‘Predator’ franchise, an animated anthology telling the tale of Predators going up against humans from across time, a warrior the Viking era, ninjas and samurai from feudal Japan and a WWII pilot in the Pacific. This is a film that leans into fan scenarios in the best way, as it drops the fearsome Predator into some of the well-known time periods to answer the question of who would win in a fight. It leans heavily into the action aspect of the franchise and is all the better for it.
The premise of the film is perhaps the best place to start, and it’s excellent. The idea is brilliant, as it taps into scenarios that have an inherent cool factor to them. Each scenario builds upon the Predator being a force of nature, as it crudely crashes into human squabbles without contemplating what they’re interrupting, be that quests of revenge, family feuds or even worldwide wars. All that matters to them is the hunt, as they relentlessly stalk their prey across time.
This relentlessness can be felt in the action, which doesn’t shy away from the brutal nature of the hunt or cut away to maintain a lower rating. It makes full use of the Predators’ expansive arsenal, something that the anthology-based format helps out a lot with as different technology is explored in different eras. Not only this, but they’re used in imaginative ways throughout, and showcase the historical fighting style based on the time period. It’s thrilling, highlighting the benefit of using animation, as sequences can be bolder and more inventive free from the constraints of live-action. Fights are easy to follow throughout and are clearly shot. The film does leave all the horror behind, which does show the flexibility of the franchise but may disappoint those who like that aspect of the ‘Predator’ series.
There does however appear to be a continuity error in one of the shorts concerning the fate of one of the characters, if not then the editing together of the scenes is likely to cause some confusion within audiences. This is minor, though is worth pointing out as it was noticeable and takes the audience out of the film for a little bit as they wrangle their head round it.
The film is made with this simple goal of Predators fighting the most feared warriors across time, and doesn’t get bogged down in all the minutiae of lore and unnecessary world building that can hamper these films. Director Dan Trachtenberg understood that the lighter the setup, the better. And indeed, it’s not as though audiences feel nothing for these characters. They are going through struggles without the Predator impeding in their lives, which is explained succinctly before all the action starts. This succinctness can be seen in the movie’s run time as well, clocking in at only just over an hour and a half. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, and instead the team behind the film knows when they’ve fully explored a segment and don’t have anything more to say, so don’t arbitrarily drag the film out.
‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ is the first animated movie in the franchise, and it sets a high bar. Different time periods have their own unique colour palettes to help them stand out, and the 3D modules are coloured in with fantastic watercolours. It also makes use of different Predator designs, something that is bound to appeal to fans who prefer one type over another. The film is a joy to look out purely for its visuals.
‘Predator: Killer of Killers’ is a great film that fans of action will enjoy, as they have a whale of a time watching the iconic hunter come face to face with historic greats. A tight, well-paced and brilliantly animated film will surely get audiences excited about the franchise again, with thoroughly exciting action and great animation.
