Predator: Killer of Killers Review
Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) Film Review from the 24th Annual Tribeca Film Festival, a movie directed by Dan Trachtenberg and Joshua Wassung, written by Micho Robert Rutare, Jim Thomas and Dan Trachtenberg and starring Michael Biehn, Doug Cockle, Rick Gonzalez, Damien C. Haas, Lauren Holt, Lindsay LaVanchy, Jeff Leach, Cherami Leigh, Piotr Michael, Andrew Morgado, Louis Ozawa, Brock Powell, Felix Solis, Britton Watkins, Alex Albrecht, James Bannon and Jeffrey Cannata.
Directors Dan Trachtenberg and Joshua Wassung’s new animated Predator film, Predator: Killer of Killers, is an interestingly conceived film anthology of sorts that traces three different types of warriors and juxtaposes their skills and abilities to those of the Predator creatures that have graced the silver screen since 1987 when Arnold Schwarzenegger first battled the original Predator monster. While the new picture is certainly unique, it’s a bit uneven in terms of its basic structure as, individually, the three stories initially showcased feel a bit threadbare in the grand scheme of things. When combined to form a whole, the stories do coalesce to create an eerie cinematic atmosphere, so the movie ultimately works despite its flaws.
As the film opens, we meet a vicious woman Viking named Ursa (voice of Lindsay LaVanchy) who is on a quest to find the man who compelled her to murder her dad. That sequence is shown in flashback as a young Ursa is given a choice and is led by her father to kill him in order to escape a dire fate. As Ursa’s own child, Anders (Damien C. Haas), joins her on her quest for revenge, the success of their vengeance is further complicated by the arrival of a Predator monster who may just make things more devastating than they already were.
This first installment has a great sequence where Ursa hides under water from the monster who steps on frozen water above her seeking his prey. Some of the elements of the hunt that the predator embarks on are sheer genius, but the installment soon comes to an abrupt ending.
Next, in Japan, we meet samurai warriors Kenji and Kiyoshi (voiced by Louis Ozawa) who are pitted against one another in their lives, and, through the passage of time and circumstances, they eventually become allies when faced against a lethal Predator monster. This segment features intense sword fighting and displays some blood as the first story of this film did. When the Predator arrives, he sort of confuses the initial story line which ends up turning the brothers into true warriors fighting for survival in unison.
Soon, we’re in Florida in the early 1940’s when a young man, Torres (voiced quite energetically by Rick Gonzalez), is drafted for the war and must learn to come to terms with his desire to become a pilot. When Torres fights the Predator in the sky, there’s some imagery that could feel like this is an animated Top Gun, but the monster gives the movie a unique feeling that separates it from that other franchise. This part of the movie is strong as Torres becomes a character with much depth and development who grows through his battle with the creature. He ultimately manipulates the creature in a way that audiences will enjoy.
Finally, the most impressive scenes of the film take flight as the central characters from the previous segments (Ursa, Kenji and Torres) are combined and asked to fight to the death as a lead Predator monster has somehow taken them all hostage (don’t ask). This part of the film employs teamwork strategies for the characters and excellent action scenes that show how the group of reluctant heroes must use their wits to survive (or make a sacrifice) in order to save one another from impending doom. One of them gets swallowed by a monster with very intriguing results.
Predator: Killer of Killers runs 85-minutes and what it does, it ultimately does well. There could have been a more layered series of plot threads which could have made it a more substantial project. That being said, the animation is strong and vivid while the characters have the requisite edge that makes their fights intriguing. Of course, Predator fans will find more to enjoy than people who don’t really watch these pictures. We recently had the enjoyable Prey and there’s another Predator movie on the horizon with Elle Fanning. This new animated film fits in somewhere snug on the franchise timeline. However, it won’t necessarily appeal to those who weren’t fans of the series to begin with.
Predator: Killer of Killers still manages to greatly entertain despite its limitations. Michael Biehn of The Terminator and Aliens fame even voices a key character here. With green blood oozing from the monsters and characters who are already suffering internally coming face-to-face with Predators, there’s something about the human fight for survival that makes this movie feel much more substantial than it could appear to be on the surface. These Predator monsters will be back soon and have become more interesting now than ever. If the 1987 movie was more focused on Schwarzenegger’s character than the creature itself, the script has been flipped, and the monsters now demand just as much attention as the humans do.
Rating: 7.5/10
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