Predator: Killer of Killers

Who's ready to go on another hunt with the Predator? 

How about two?

Since Prey did pretty good on Hulu, Disney brought back Dan Trachtenberg to helm not one, but two follow-up features. While Predator: Badlands hits theatres in November, Predator: Killer of Killers is already on Hulu now. So, what can you expect from the franchise's first animated feature?

Trachtenberg and Micho Robert Rutare write three historical scenarios for the Predators to hunt in. The finale sees the Predators' human opponents fight and team up on the Predators' home world. If anyone imagined what a film adaptation of the RPG Live A Live would look like, this might be it. Let's take a look at these scenarios.

I. The Shield: Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy) is a Viking Chieftain in 9th-Century Scandinavia. As a child, the evil Krivich warlord Zoran (Andrew Morgado) forced her to kill her father. Now, she and her warband, which includes her son Anders (Damien Haas), are out for vengeance. A Predator shows up just as they succeed.

Throughout Ursa's story, she not only fights physical opponents, but a lifetime of mental trauma that's plain as day when she confronts Zoran. Despite this, she's still a good mother to Anders, as well as a respectable Chieftain to her band. In other words, she maybe brutal, but she won't lash out on her kin. She proves her mettle during her fight with the "Grendel," as well as in her last stand. Who wouldn't want to follow her into battle? 

II. The Sword: It's now 1609 Japan. Kenji (Louis Ozawa), the disgraced son of a deceased Shogun, returns home as a ninja to fight his brother Kyoshi (also Ozawa) for the right to succeed the old man. A ninja Predator - who kind of looks like Dek, the main Predator in Badlands - ruins the fun. The intruder, however, spurs the brothers to reconcile.

This segment mostly eschews dialogue for some stylish action. Kenji spends the first half on a beeline for his brother, taking out the guards with quick ninjutsu (smoke bombs, poison darts, kunai, etc.). You don't need much to understand Kenji's resentment with Kiyoshi when they have their duel. Still, one could easily have wildly different interpretations of the events on-screen. I almost thought that the brothers' final blow for the Ninja Predator was meant for each other. But that's quickly resolved. It's quite profound when they finally talk, for the first and last time, after their duel.

III. The Bullet: It's now 1942, and the Battle of the Atlantic is underway. John J. Torres (Rick Gonzalez), a fighter pilot and aspiring mechanic, realizes that his unit isn't just fighting the Axis. A Predator Starship is literally fishing for fighter pilots, and it's up to Torres and his rust bucket plane, the Bullet, to take down the pilot before all hands are lost. 

Torres is a likable underdog, stuck with paltry weaponry, but doing his best to survive. He's got some good comradery with his squad, including CO Vandy (Michael Biehn), even if they doubt his warrior skills. But he proves his mettle during his main segment, and the finale. As cool as the seasoned warriors Ursa and Kenji are, it's just as cool to see him outwit and outlast his opponents. He even survives certain death as monster food during the Gladiator Games. I'll just have to let you see how.

Imagine a de-saturated Spiderverse movie and you have this movie's art style. We have some wonderfully exaggerated Predator designs, including the hulking Warlord Predator, as well as some stylish kills by both them and the heroes. The Viking Raids in The Shield, as well as Ursa's pivotal flashback, are appropriately nightmarish and brutal. Our heroes literally fade into Predator captivity, which is quite inventive to see. The only flaw is that the dogfight in The Bullet is a bit hard to follow. It's hard to tell who Torres's fellow pilots are, save for Vandy, when they fall. But maybe a second viewing can help. These visuals are accentuated with another good Benjamin Wallfisch score, which features some stylish renditions of Alan Silvestri's famous theme.

At 90 minutes, Predator: Killer of Killers will give you some quick action thrice. Its three main segments will never bore you thanks to their fast pace and stylish action. They come together nicely in the finale, which has a twist that puts the previous films in a rather dark perspective. Will it be addressed in Predator: Badlands, or even another sequel? I don't know, but I'm ready for both options. 

That's it for now.