Ever since we were introduced to the galaxy’s greatest trophy hunters back in 1987, fans have wondered what it would be like to watch a Predator go toe to toe with history’s greatest human warriors. While the Dark Horse era of Predator comics covered this territory from time to time, seldom have we seen one of these great duels in motion. With Predator: Killer of Killers, some of our most kickass fan-fantasies become realized. Killer of Killers doesn’t just succeed just in satisfying our needs of watching Vikings and samurai go up against the Predators, but in crafting great human stories and adding interesting wrinkles to the surprisingly interesting lore of the larger Predator universe.
Predator: Killer of Killers director Dan Trachtenberg seems to be the go-to guy now for Predator films – and he’s proving to be more than up to the task. 2022’s Prey is easily the best film in the franchise since the 1987 original, so him directing this animated treat in secret alongside co-director Joshua Wassung was a more than pleasant surprise. The story follows three warriors from different points in history – a Viking chieftain, a ronin turned ninja, and a WWII pilot – as they battle Predators come to collect trophies from Earth’s greatest fighters. What begins as an anthology story ends up being more interconnected than we are led to believe, leading to a genuinely compelling character story that is filled with some of the most badass sequences in the history of the franchise. Killer of Killers offers fans exactly the kind of spectacle we’ve been asking for for decades, with history’s greatest warriors going up against the universe’s deadliest hunter, complete with new and sick as hell ways to dismember and claim trophies. What really makes this film work though isn’t just the action, but the compelling character writing. Both the Viking and the Samurai are on quests of vengeance that offer their own sort of tragedy as well, but each one is very unique. The fighter pilot though is a young man trying to prove himself to his superiors through his wit and tenacity. All of their stories are compelling – even if the last one feels a bit far-fetched and out of left field compared to the other two. Killer of Killers also offers a look at Yautja (the lore name for Predators) culture in a way we haven’t seen outside of novels and comic books. Trachtenberg really nails down what makes a great Predator tale, and then exceeds on the very expectations for this kind of storytelling. Between this and his work on Prey, the wait for Predator: Badlands is almost assuredly going to be worth it.
Animation quality on a direct-to-streaming production can often be shaky, so its fortunate that the Third Floor’s animation work on Predator: Killer of Killers is so solid. The film has an aesthetic akin to Netflix’s Blue-Eye Samurai, but with a noticeably higher level of fidelity and smoothness. The art direction stays consistent while seamlessly transitioning across three wildly different historical periods, as well as within alien ships and worlds. The different Predator designs are all stellar, managing to add new details to one of the genre’s most recognizable monsters while never feeling like they’re going a bridge too far. I never thought I’d see the day where we watched a Yautja fighter pilot at work, but man I’m glad I did. The action choreography hits hard in every sequence, from brutal hand-to-hand encounters to insane aerial battles. Third Floor’s animation combined with Trachtenberg and Wassung’s direction allows for this film to craft combat with a speed and cinematography that would be almost impossible for a live action flick to reproduce. One other feat here that has to be recognized is this film’s soundtrack, composed by Benjamin Wallfisch. Each chapter has its own version of the original iconic Predator soundtrack, played though as a leitmotif as each fight rages on. On the production end as much as with the writing, Killer of Killers is an utter treat to behold.
Predator: Killer of Killers is fanservice, in the simplest terms, fanservice done right. Dan Trachtenberg’s storytelling (aided by Joshua Wassung’s directing and Micho Robert Rutare’s script) delivers a series of conjoined tales that is just as effective at giving viewers compelling human stories as it is at delivering Yautja lore and brutal kills. Everything from the animation quality, fight choreography, and the great play on a classic soundtrack, works together to create the kind of Predator experience fans have been searching for for decades now. Trachtenberg is 2 for 2 now, and I cannot wait to see how Badlands turns out.
