by Nick Ferro, Contributing Writer
Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey was one of my favorite movies of 2022. It was an entry in a franchise that I, honestly, was not as well versed in at the time, so to say that it surprised me would be an understatement. I have since gone back and watched all of the other Predator movies that I hadn’t seen, and am happy to report that Prey is still my favorite of the bunch. But I have a ton of love for what this franchise does, despite it having been a bit stagnant for the decade leading up to Prey. One of the big hopes that I had for the franchise as a whole was for more movies like Prey, in that a Predator comes to earth during different time periods so that we can see how warriors from other cultures and eras would handle the situation. My only concern with that formula was, how would they differentiate these other stories and cultures from what Prey did in order to keep the franchise fresh? Well, I am happy to report that Trachtenberg and I were on the same wavelength, because Predator: Killer of Killers not only fulfilled my hope of the franchise, but also answered that very question!
Killer of Killers is an animated feature film split into four, roughly 20-minute, parts. The first three parts are given chapter headers: “Part One: The Shield,” “Part Two: The Sword,” and “Part Three: The Bullet.” I personally have been calling the unofficial fourth chapter “The Arena,” because it bugged me that they didn’t bother to name it, but also, without going into spoilers for the final act, it sums up nicely what you can expect. “The Shield” introduces Ursa (voiced by Lindsay LaVanchy), a Viking warrior from 841 AD who is leading her clan and son on a vengeful mission to find and kill the man who murdered her father. “The Sword” introduces Kenji and Kyoshi (both voiced by Louis Ozawa), two brothers who share a bond in 1600s Japan, being raised by a cruel father to fight each other to be his heir. “The Bullet” introduces us to John Torres (Rick Gonzalez), a man drafted in 1941 to fly planes in World War II. Each of these stories focus on the characters and their lives, shows their bond with their families or friends, and gives them a goal or a purpose. However, as you probably already guessed, they get interrupted when a Predator shows up to try and kill them or those around them. What I love about this movie is that each part is a character-driven short story first, and a Predator story second, yet neither element suffers.
Part of what makes this movie so much fun is the visceral and brutal Predator action, and the several different types of Predators. Ursa must fight a behemoth predator more than twice her size, with some kind of punching tech drilled into his right hand. Kenji and Kyoshi, however, face off against a smaller, leaner, more hunter-like Predator who has an array of weapons from grappling hooks to grenades. Torres, being a pilot, goes up against a Predator with a spaceship, and we get some excellent dogfights in the sky, something we’ve never really seen before from this franchise. Each story’s Predator brings something new and unique to the table.
As far as the individual stories go, I was incredibly invested in Kenji/Kyoshi’s. There is next to no dialogue throughout, and I have always been enamored by ancient samurai stories. This is storytelling at it’s finest as two brothers clash with each other and then have to work together when a greater threat emerges. The Predator represents their abusive father who drove them apart, and the way this is weaved into the story without dialogue is what I crave in movies nowadays.
I really enjoyed Ursa’s story as well because of the brutality of the Viking combat. There is a oner where Ursa just obliterates every enemy in her path as she makes her way toward her target. My head was rolling watching this scene, much like those of her enemies.
Torres’ part I enjoyed as well, but it was the one I enjoyed the least, for a few reasons. I don’t think it had much meat on its bones, as it was mostly action-based. His struggles were more in the moment and less existential, and while I like that he needed to use his brain more than his brawn, I was ultimately less impressed with him as a character, simply because he felt underdeveloped.
The final act of the film has a clash of warriors on what I assume is the Predator home world, in a giant arena, fighting to the death for the chance to face off against the Predator Emperor (I think — his title wasn’t exactly clear). These characters put aside their difference to survive, and I really enjoyed how it played out, for two reasons: It does a really good job of both setting up future entries into this franchise and giving this movie a satisfying ending. I couldn’t help but be reminded of Star Wars, and how Han, Luke, and Leia formed a bond during their first adventure together which would lead to them having many more in the future. Thinking about that potential as the credits rolled gave me a level of excitement that I so rarely feel these days.
If I had to knock the movie at all, though, as much fun as this final act is, I could imagine the last 20 minutes being expanded to a full 90-minute movie. In fact, I could see all three of the previous parts as movies of their own. Naturally, doing four full-length movies, live action or animated, would require an investment of time and money that no studio is willing to do these days, so I suppose I should be grateful for what we were given. But in a perfect world, each one of these stories would be awesome if given the Prey treatment.
As for the animation, I have been seeing some mixed things regarding the style and frame rate, and I unfortunately have nothing to report on this other than, I personally thought that the animation style is very nice to look at, and I found it a cross between a video game and cell shaded animation. A few months ago, I wrote about how The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim had a wholly forgettable visual pallet — I liked how it looked after getting used to it, but it wasn’t anything special. That is not the case with Predator: Killer of Killers. I really enjoyed how the visuals popped, especially during “The Sword.” Each part has a slightly different color grading due to their time and place, and each time, save for the final act, the animation really comes to life.
With Trachtenberg being the showrunner for everything Predator right now, I have a ton of faith that he is crafting a universe that has nowhere to go but up, and it makes me even more excited for the live action Predator: Badlands coming to theaters in the fall. I can’t wait to see where this story goes, but based on the Killer of Killers’ post-credit tease, I hope that Trachtenberg gets to deliver!
Rating: Loved It
Predator: Killer of Killers is currently streaming on Hulu
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