Predator: Killer of Killers - Review: Leader of the Pack

 

There’s something beautiful about the 21st century’s newfound respect for animation. What was previously seen as a medium relegated strictly to family fare or kid’s entertainment has now blossomed into a far wider variety of material, thanks to the increase in adult-aimed animated material as well as animated series based on live-action franchises like “Men in Black,” “Beetlejuice,” and “Ghostbusters.” This means that more franchises are embracing the medium despite originating in live-action, with the likes of the “Spider-Verse” films and now “Predator” getting into the mix.

“Predator: Killer of Killers” is an anthology films focusing on three different periods in human history and three different encounters with a deadly Predator at those different times: a Viking warrior named Ursa, played by Lindsay LaVanchy (“Initiation (2020)”), in Scandanavia in 841, a Japanese samurai named Kenji, played by Louis Ozawa (“Hunters,” “Predators”), in 17th century Japan, and a World War 2 pilot named Torres, played by Rick Gonzalez (“Arrow,” “Coach Carter”), in 1941. Each faces off against a different Predator, with different weapons utilized by the alien hunter and the human warrior in their various face-offs.

Without a doubt, the smartest thing that director/co-writer Dan Trachtenberg (“10 Cloverfield Lane,” “Prey”) and co-writer Micho Robert Rutare (“Z-Nation”) do is keep things relatively simple. There’s no reinvention of the typical “Predator” mythos or formula here. Rather, the simple premise of going back through human history provides a shot in the arm in much the same way that “Prey” did a few years back. Simply juxtaposing different human weaponry against the science-fiction brutality of the Predator species allows for some thrilling and creative battles that are animated in a detailed and gorgeous style that still manages to be grimy, as if everything is sketched out with thick black markers.

The vocal performances, while few, are all excellent. LaVanchy has a guttural and commanding presence, Ozawa delivers a cool and controlled character, and Gonzalez, playing the youngest of the trio, manages to make his more anxious, inexperienced persona endearing without becoming annoying. The titular Predators are just as menacing as they’ve ever been, now accentuated with varying styles befitting the animation medium, and their roars, coupled with the film’s excellent sound design and score from composer Benjamin Wallfisch (“IT (2017),” “Blade Runner 2049”), create a thoroughly entertaining animated playground of violence.

This isn’t just a display of cartoon bloodshed though. Rather, the nature of the anthology means that the film manages to showcase not only the different weapons and techniques of violence from history but hit on three different emotional beats throughout the film. There’s a surprising amount of restraint in the violence (this is still a “Predator” film though), and there’s a specific use of the more intense moments of gore and viscera that prevents things from becoming overwhelming while also giving the moments when they do more impact. That, coupled with the film’s excellent usage of color (especially green), makes this feel like far more than a straight-to-streaming spin-off tale. The last fourth of the film especially turns things around not only on the central ideas of violence Trachtenberg and Rutare were playing with before but also makes for a far more satisfying ending than most anthology films get. It does end with a sequel tease that feels deliberate and obvious, if not a little bit annoying, but the promise of more of this creative, cool take on the franchise isn’t a bad one by any means.

“Predator: Killer of Killers” is a surprising high point for the franchise, sitting nicely right alongside the original film and 2022’s “Prey” as the best of the series and continuing the stretch of goodwill garnered from the success of that 2022 entry. The animated world, surprising emotional angles, and vocal performances help make this a new twist on the formula as entertaining as the series has ever been. Hopefully this proves that “Prey” wasn’t a fluke, and the new blood injected into the franchise can last for a long while to come. 4.5/5