PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS (R)
Grade: B+
If at the beginning of the year you would have told me that an animated anthology film inspired by the Predator franchise would end up being one of my very favorite films of the summer, I would have said you were crazy. Well…You’re not crazy! In fact, Predator: Killer of Killers is even more exciting than some of the bigger tentpoles to hit the big screen as of late, Mission: Impossible: The Final Reckoning and Jurassic World: Rebirth included!
In the intense, epic, and savage animated anthology film that is Predator: Killer of Killers, Predator fans are treated to three stories set in entirely different eras. In the first story, a fierce Viking warrior and her son are forced into battle with something not of this Earth while on a mission of vengeance. In the second story (which is told with almost no dialogue), two estranged brothers who have been taught the ways of the Samurai are reunited under the most terrifying of circumstances. In the third story, an upbeat U.S. Navy pilot faces off against something even deadlier than his enemy on the World War II battlefield.
Don’t let the fact that this is an animated Predator film scare you away from watching it. Truth be told, the world-building here lends itself beautifully to this particular animation style. As for the brutality, violence, and action, Killer of Killers brings it every bit as much as the live action Predator films do…And then some.
As directed by Prey helmer, Dan Trachtenberg (with a big time assist by co-director Joshua Wassung), Predator: Killer of Killers is a visceral thrill ride and as was the case with Prey, it expands on the Predator mythology in a handful of very intriguing ways. One of the cooler aspects of this film is how each segment features a different kind of Predator…One that feels almost tailor made for the specific “warrior” that he’s hunting in each given story. But beyond that, there’s real drama, real emotion, and real character depth and it is, perhaps, these attributes that surprised me most. You can always expect to be wowed by relentless action and violence in a Predator movie but it’s not often that you’re moved by one.
Truth be told, the third segment of this film doesn’t live up to the first two segments. The World War II setting certainly gives it its own unique flavor but it goes a little too far with the humor and the protagonist isn’t quite at the same level as the warriors who battle the alien beasties in the previous two stories. Again, though, at the very least, that tonal shift certainly sets it apart, as does the finale of the film which I won’t spoil here.
Ultimately, not only is this one of my favorite films of the summer, not only is it one of my favorite films of 2025 thus far, and not only is it my favorite Predator film since the 1987 original, but it’s also a great lead in to what I can only hope will be a worthy live action follow up in Predator: Badlands (also directed by Trachtenberg) which opens later this year.
*On a final note, perhaps the most disappointing part of Predator: Killer of Killers is that it skipped theatrical and went straight to streaming because this one would have been an even bigger thrill on the biggest of screens. That said, if there’s a silver lining to be found in that glaring negative, it’s that you can watch it on Hulu, now! So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!
