In a movie culture dominated by IP, a true source of excitement is when a once-dormant franchise becomes creatively recharged by the addition of new talent. Or, put it another way: I never used to be a huge fan of Predator movies until Predator: Killer of Killers director Dan Trachtenberg started making them. And now I am obsessed.
Following his lauded work on projects like 10 Cloverfield Lane and the horror-infused Black Mirror episode “Playtest,” Trachtenberg gave new life to those rascally Predators with his 2022 movie Prey. Trachtenberg then got the green light to make a second movie in this universe, this November’s Predator: Badlands, while the existence of the Hulu-bound Killer of Killers was kept secret until relatively recently. The best sort of surprise.
Killer of Killers features a lot of Prey DNA in its approach to the action (not to mention a few Easter eggs), while also expanding upon what we know about Predators, as seen through three very different sets of human eyes. The animated feature utilizes an unconventional structure brilliantly to bring us the stories of three Earth-born warriors from across time: A 9th century Viking out for revenge, a samurai from the 16th century at odds with his brother, and a young World War II pilot who yearns to fly. All three are in the middle of their own quests when one of the titular aliens interrupts, utilizing his invisibility shield as well as a wide range of wild weapons to hunt humans he deems worthy of his attention.
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Technically, Killer of Killers could be described as an anthology movie, with each human character’s story told sequentially as separate chapters. Except that once the movie moves past the three sections establishing these characters, our heroes are brought together for a final act that brings them into direct conflict with each other as well as the Predators themselves. The result is something bigger than the whole, a rousing underdog tale packed with surprises and cheer-inducing moments.
This isn’t really a talky sort of movie, but the core voice cast of Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa Changchien, and Rick Gonzalez performs admirably, and there’s a bonus appearance from Michael Biehn as well in the third chapter. And while the video game cut scene-esque animation takes a minute to get used to, it does a remarkable job of bringing these madcap action sequences to life in bold vibrant color.
To be clear, the storytelling is great here, but it’s really the action where this movie shines. As with Prey, the secret sauce here is an almost Looney Tunes-esque approach: Buckets of red and green blood are spilled both due to the human stories as well as the Predator’s hunting, in inventive ways that prove thrilling right from the jump.
There’s a level of craft required to create the kind of clever violence that inspires a hearty “Hell yeah!” from the audience, and Trachtenberg, co-director Joshua Wassung, and their team deliver. Just the way their Viking wields a shield proves mind-blowing, and it only gets better from there. There’s a remarkable range of action represented, too, from the brutal medieval warfare of the first part, the more refined swordplay of the Japan section, and the aerial battles that define the World War II story.
It’s a shame that Killer of Killers (like Prey did) is going directly to Hulu instead of receiving a theatrical release, because it’s got plenty of moments designed to be appreciated by a rollicking audience. Yet Badlands will definitely be shown in theaters later this year, and the ending of Killer of Killers leaves the door open for this specific story to continue. In case it wasn’t clear, that would be most welcome, as Trachtenberg’s imagination here seems literally boundless. The Predator franchise is more than safe in his hands — it’s thriving.
Predator: Killer of Killers begins streaming June 6th on Hulu. Watch the trailer below.
