I’m a big fan of the Predator franchise. “I don’t have time to bleed” is one of my all-time favorite movie quotes from Predator. I am always open to a new movie in this franchise. Especially when it’s done right. The Predator franchise has gotten an influx of energy lately with the success of Prey, directed by Dan Trachtenberg.  Later this year, two more Predator films will be coming out, one from Trachtenberg, but before then, Trachtenberg has a little surprise for fans. That is Predator: Killer of Killers. A new anthology animated film that gives fans of the franchise a more in-depth look at the home planet of the Predators.  Also, how important the thrill of the hunt and the fight are to this warrior race of beings.

The first segment of the anthology film is called The Shield. It deals with a viking woman named Irsa who has a son named Anders. She is a beast of a woman who doesn’t back down from a fight. Even when a Predator comes. The second segment, called The Sword, involves two brothers from feudal Japan in 1609. The brothers have their own issues, but team up together to fight a Predator that comes to kill them. They look at this as an opportunity to fight a worthy opponent. The third segment takes place in WWII in 1942, and it’s called Bullet.  Torez is a young Latin man who dreams of dog fighting in the sky with his fellow air force men not fixing the planes on the ground when their damaged. When the chance to fly comes, he jumps at it but doesn’t realize he has to help his fellow soldiers against something out of this world.

This film has a different style of animation than I’m used to seeing, which is a good thing. Even though I’m not that familiar with video games, I don’t have time to play them, I know they have advanced their look since the days of Super Mario Brothers, and Mike Tyson’s punch out. Now, they look like they take place in the real world. This movie felt like a video game come to life. The animation was grainy and had a lot of depth to it. The colors were a bit muted, which gave it a dirty and more grimy feel to it.  I loved the animation style in this film. It went hand in hand with the type of story Trachtenberg was trying to convey. 

With any Predator movie, you know you’re going to get a lot of blood and guts and gore, animation, or otherwise. There are some gnarly fights in here. Some involving the viking battle, others in the Japan sequence where people’s heads were cut off and one where a giant monster is fighting all three of the Champions if you will. The red blood jumps off the screen and shoots out at the viewers watching at home. This film would look cool in 3D. Trachtenberg kept true to the nature of the first Predator movie. This one is also about warriors who are fighting for survival against a race of beings who fight and hunt every moment of their lives. They live for the hunt.

The voice cast includes Lidsey LaVanchy, Irsa, Luis Ozawa, Torez, Changchien, Samurai brother, Rick Gonzalez, and Michael Beihn The latter two are both in the Torrez segment of the anthology film. One voices Terez’s father and the other voices a captain who is Torez’s superior in the air force. Language plays a key in this Predator movie as much as anything, though. Most of the characters don’t speak or are subtitled when they do have something to say. The lack of communication from the three combatants who are in the three segments makes for a little humor, let’s say. Different walks of like have different ways of doing things, and these three have to put their translation issues on the back burner to fight for a greater cause.

This addition to the Predator universe is a prequel to the last Predator film Trachtenberg directed. I won’t say how their connected , but you should definitely watch all the way through the credits to find out. I’m glad 20 Century Studios has given him the keys to this little corner of the archive. The Predator franchise has been needing an upgrade for years. I always say nothing needs a remake, reboot, or sequel,  but when they are done, well, they are more than welcome. Trachtenberg seems to know what he’s doing and I’ve enjoyed his two movies he’s directed so far in this new Predator universe so I don’t see why fans shouldn’t get more in this world that he’s expanded upon. With Badlands coming later in the fall, the franchise can only go up from here, hopefully. 

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen