Predator: Killer of Killers

Since the release of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger original, the Predator franchise has been fraught with disappointments and embarrassments. While some argue that 2022’s direct-to-streaming 'Prey’ resuscitated it, others consider the Hulu original to be a competently filmed, if forgettable, girl boss-led blip in the series.

Coming in at 90 minutes and with only the barest outline of a main plot, Killer of Killers is another well-made blip. Its whimsical, painted 2.5D Puss In Boots: The Last Wish-esque animation style is better suited to a storybook fairytale/adventure than a bloody and violent melee, but despite likely being a decision borne at the executive level and meant to capitalize on the style’s current popularity, it’s not distracting— just odd.

As mentioned, the narrative is rather thin, consisting of three short and dispirited tales of human warriors from different periods in history, all brought together through space and time to fight one another to the death. The individual stories, while not particularly original, are tight and competently told but aren’t given enough time to be much more than character sketches couched in extended fight scenes. Nothing is helped by its ending on a cliffhanger.

The one thing that Killer of Killers does better than any other film in the franchise since 1990’s deeply flawed Predator 2 is add to the lore. It gives us a glimpse of the Predator home world—the first to do so since 2007 gave us the dud Alien vs Predator: Requiem— and a feel for the variety and hierarchy of the Yautja (the Predators).

Predator: Killer of Killers is definitely a fun piece of fluff, but it’s not anything special.