Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey turned out to be a pleasant surprise back in 2022, undeniably giving this tired franchise some fresh creative legs. It introduced a novel concept by going back centuries, pitting the titular extra-terrestrial hunter against a tribe of Comanche warriors. Trachtenberg uses this same idea in his latest installment Predator: Killer of Killers, an animated anthology film featuring three different eras of warriors forced into a battle to the death against the Yautja. It’s a bloody and viciously fan-pleasing entry that perfectly tides us over until the director’s next film Predator: Badlands, coming later this year.

Killer of Killers is divided into three chapters, each with their own title and set in a different period in history. The first one, titled “The Shield,” follows a group of Viking raiders and their leader Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), who is on a quest for revenge against the tribe leader who killed her father. Set in feudal Japan, “The Sword” is about an exiled ninja Kenji (Louis Ozawa) who returns home to confront his brother Kiyoshi, now the Samurai lord of the region. Lastly, “The Bullet” takes place in World War II and follows Torres (Rick Gonzales), a young rookie fighter pilot who’s determined to prove his worth.

Using a story he worked with Trachtenberg, Micho Robert Rutare’s screenplay is simple and straightforward. Whatever revenge or recognition our three protagonists seek is disrupted by the sudden arrival of a Predator in their midst, and must now fight to survive. Each chapter is unique in its approach to the Predator fights while also allowing its characters to develop. But it leaves you wondering where things are heading until Rutare neatly ties everything together in a surprisingly exciting final act (which I will not spoil here).

Going the animated route proved to be the right choice for Killer of Killers. There are some unique and genuinely creative kills here that I think would be hard, if not impossible, to replicate in live action. The art direction takes stylistic influences from Netflix’s Arcane, which is not surprising considering that several artists from the show worked on this one too, including lead animator Stephen J. Meyer. This painted, stylized look of digital animation totally works, and lends to the violence and ferocity of the material.

It pretty much seems that Trachtenberg has figured out what works for the Predator franchise in 2025. He’s taken a winning concept he introduced in Prey and just ran with it, because it turns out that dropping a Predator in different periods of history is just what this IP needed in a long time. It’s really interesting to see how a human warrior, using the tools available at the time, would fare against a far more advanced extraterrestrial hunter. Trachtenberg explores this narrative concept with gleeful brutality in Predator: Killer of Killers, which makes this film another win for this iconic sci-fi franchise.

Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.