Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"

In the run-up to the release of Prey back in 2022, director Dan Trachtenberg talked openly about its Mad Max: Fury Road influences and how intriguing a challenge it was to make a film that blends heart and emotion with fast-paced action. "We wanted the movie to already feel dramatic and compelling before the Predator even gets involved in the story. Then when [it] does show up, it doesn't switch gears, it only enhances," he told GamesRadar+ at the time – a creed he's doubled down on for the franchise's latest addition: Predator: Killer of Killers.

You see, the animated "anthology" – the three sections do tie together, but we won't spoil how here – isn't really about the Yautja at all. At least not at first, anyway. It opens in 841 AD, where Viking warrior Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy) has enlisted her young son Anders to help track down the man who killed her father. "That day, something was born inside of me; a monster with claws around my heart, breathing fire into my soul," she tells Anders through gritted teeth, as a flashback clues us in on the painful memory. Haunted by visions of her pops ordering her to avenge him, her search for Zorin leaves blood in her wake in more ways than one, and the crimson path leads the titular creature straight to her.

Decentered demons

Cut to almost 800 years later, and we meet two Japanese brothers (Louis Ozawa) driven apart by their father's strict parenting and the duty of succession. Disciplined and ruthless, one has grown into a samurai, while the other has adopted the ninja way of life. For the 20 years that follow, they never cross paths, until the latter's revenge plot is interrupted by a weapon-wielding extraterrestrial. As with all anthologies, people are bound to have their favorites. This chapter, 'The Sword', is practically dialogue-free but is arguably the best; positively fizzing with tension, thanks to its beautifully framed set pieces, nifty sound design, and gorgeous score by Benjamin Wallfisch. World War II-set follow-up 'The Bullet', though, boasts the film's most memorable, likeable character in Torres (Rick Gonzalez), a Latino pilot who takes to the skies to protect his comrades from an invisible threat amongst the clouds. Where Ursa and Kenji and Kiyoshi are stoic and quiet, Torres is warm and chatty, making it easy to root for him in the film's surprisingly weep-worthy climax.

While they might rank slightly differently in terms of plot-devised depth and thrills, each installment looks equally great. Brought to life by animation studio The Third Floor, its aesthetic can't help but evoke the likes of Netflix's Arcane and the Spider-Verse movies with its colorful, painterly style. Some sequences look like they've been lifted right out of a video game. Free of the usual costume design and practical effects constraints, Trachtenberg and co-director Joshua Wassung has each Predator we're introduced to look different from the last – one even wears a cape of spines from its victims, much like how Prey's beastie wore a skull as a mask – and their green blood practically glows against the real world's more muted palette.

Hunt meets history

It's long been established that Predators are drawn to savagery, so it's an inspired decision to follow in Prey's footsteps and focus on some of humanity's most brutal periods. Micho Robert Rutare's script is just as concerned with exploring each character's cultural rituals, the pressures of legacy, and how violence can be just as destructive mentally as it is physically. It makes it hard not to compare it to something like Godzilla Minus One, which hid similarly sophisticated themes inside of a big lizard monster movie. That said, it's also just nerdy fun seeing a Yautja using all the futuristic gadgets in its arsenal to take down a star-spangled Grumman F4F Wildcat…

It's clear Wassung and Trachtenberg just get it. Somehow, they're able to push the sci-fi envelope and offer up fresh images and ideas the series has yet to see, while also appealing to diehard fans with Easter eggs (keeps your eyes peeled for a pistol in the final act and a franchise-first look at something fans have been dying to see realized since 1987), as well as cheeky teases of a connected universe and potential sequel, too. Before we get anything like that, though, the latter  is set to release the upcoming live-action flick Predator: Badlands, yet another take on the menacingly-mandibled meanies. After Prey, we had faith the series was in good hands. After Predator: Killer of Killers, we don't want anyone else getting their mitts on it.

Predator: Killer of Killers premieres on June 6, on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK. Predator: Badlands is currently slated for a global theatrical release on November 7. In the meantime, check out our guides to the best Hulu shows and the best Hulu movies to stream now.