Directed By Dan Trachtenberg

Starring – Michael Biehn, Doug Cockle, Rick Gonzalez

The Plot – This anthology story follows three of the fiercest warriors in human history: a Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, a ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, and a WWII pilot who takes to the sky to investigate an otherworldly threat to the Allied cause. But while all these warriors are killers in their own right, they are merely prey for their new opponent: the ultimate killer of killers.

Rated R for strong bloody violence, some gore and adult language.

Predator: Killer of Killers | Official Trailer | Hulu

POSITIVES

In recent years, the Predator franchise has received a much-needed shot of adrenaline to finally capitalize on the possibilities within its ambition, and with an already built-in lore of world-building that the live action films haven’t been able to capture, “Killer of Killers” justifies its existence by tapping into a variety of unique settings and compelling stories, cementing what I truly feel is the best Predator installment since its iconic 1987 original movie. Many will possibly shun at the idea of this being an animated movie, but the concept actually allows the film to express itself visually and ambitiously in ways that would cost a live action film hundreds of millions of dollars to an overinflated budget, and with watercolor techniques seamlessly blending two-dimensional and three-dimensional illustrations, we get a breathtaking presentation that effortlessly captures the grit and grandeur of this cross-generational story, all with the creativity in carnage candy that will undoubtedly satisfy longtime enthusiasts of the franchise, such as myself. While initially the frame rates take a little time in getting used to, with the occasional choppy motions of the characters, once it settles in, imbeds an adult appeal to graphic novels that works particularly well within the confines of this series, where not only does the Predators feel as ferociously vicious as they ever have, but also so immensely imposing in size, in order to immediately appraise the grave disadvantage that each of these human protagonists face in overcoming such killing machines. On top of the animation, the script itself involves three highly entertaining narratives, each with their own unique element of redemption that makes it a pleasure to invest and ride alongside these characters throughout their respective conflicts. For my money, my favorite was that of the Viking raider Ursa, who with her long winding road of revenge to avenge her fallen father, unloads a resiliency factor that made her tops in my eyes, and one that I dearly wish could’ve been realized in live action rendering, in order to cement a meaningful performance of stoicism for some lucky actress. Each of the stories obviously vary in quality to their respective audience, but none of them feel noticeably inferior to the others, and with Trachtenberg choosing to bask his stories in the past legacy of the Predator character, he creatively takes the story in directions that it tragically hasn’t seen until now, all with a meaningful message of togetherness during its closing act that feels entirely earned in the depths of characters who find original ways to defeat an adversary that is stronger and more technologically advanced than any of them. More fascinating than even that, as to where most Predator movies conclude with the human victor being given a gift of congratulations by the alien army, Trachtenberg pushes the envelope here by expanding a little more and setting a stage of unforeseen confrontation during his third act climax, and while the rare opportunity to see survivors interact with other survivors is often viewed as an unlikely taboo in horror culture, the chance to live within untreaded territory among the Predator’s planet is something that no other film in the franchise has, adding further grandeur into the air of its aforementioned presentation that takes its singular value to a whole other level of originality. On the opposing side of that, Trachtenberg, being an obvious longtime lover of the series and titular character, imbeds an abundance of meticulously placed Easter eggs and comfort food fan service that has such a distinct way of tying these films together, made all the more apparent by his full circle reveal during the film’s final shot that truly dropped my jaw in audacity alone. Will the average fan be able to spot these instances? Not necessarily, but it doesn’t hinder their approachability to the product nonetheless, and to those who adore it as one of the single greatest science fiction franchises of all-time, they will be rewarded with meaningful intricacies among its continuity that makes this a legacy sequel of sorts for Dan’s efforts, breathing life into a new generation of possibilities that should introduce it to an entirely new generation of avid moviegoers. Lastly, even the voice work of an experienced ensemble unloads soulful depth to their characters, with Lindsay LaVanchy (Ursa), Rick Gonzalez (Torres), and even the double duty work of Louis Ozawa (Kenji and Kiyoshi) each breathing humanity to their trysts with tragedy that transform each of them seamlessly into the warriors they were meant to become. Despite my previously established favoritism towards Ursa, in which LaVanchy commands attention with angsty exhilaration, it is actually Gonzalez who makes the most of his screen time, not only with the naivety that breeds the endless wonderer from within the character’s endless charisma, but also the eager anxiousness that continuously drives him to get back up, making it easier to outline understanding into how he became a successful soldier for the U.S Army, during World War II, despite his carelessness sometimes getting the better of him.

NEGATIVES

While I found “Killer of Killers” to be an exciting engagement, full of so much capitalized instinct within Trachtenberg’s creativity and ambition, it isn’t without fault, as a couple of noticeable hinderances kept this from being the best of the entire franchise, beginning with the time distribution among its storytelling thirds. Being already a fan of anthology TV series such as “Fargo”, or “American Horror Story”, I knew what to expect in the focus and shifts of the storytelling coming within its structure, but a fleeting 80 minutes of screentime doesn’t allow the individual arcs to fully capitalize on the extent of its respective world-building, and instead compressing them a bit tightly towards suppressing vital characterization to their capture. This is echoed especially during the movie’s second story involving the brotherly duo of Kenji and Kiyoshi, who each feel slightly underdeveloped considering the emotional arc and obvious score choices that the movie reaches so forcefully towards, and considering this arc carries with it the least amount of dialogue among the trio of stories to learn and attach ourselves to these brothers and their respective dynamics to that of their father or family lineage, twenty minutes simply isn’t enough framing to flourish, and I found myself noticeably less invested to this section compared to that of the other two. Beyond this, I also had some juxtaposition with the movie’s ending, despite my previously established appreciation towards tapping into the mystique and allure of the Predator’s never before seen planet of killing competition. Part of my problem certainly pertains to how this tacked-on ending feels like it reveals too much about the character, all the while compromising the hopeful outlook of the franchise’s previous installments, which will now force me to see the endings from the other movies in different ways, but my bigger issue pertains to the overall satisfaction level of the movie’s climax itself, which requires some exaggerated conveniences among the Predators themselves, in order to push this conflict a bit further than necessary. I understand that inconsistencies have always been an unfortunate aspect of this franchise, as humans are able to outwit their alien captors to survive another day, but the circumstances elicited in this final act are a bit overwhelmingly impossible to say the least, resulting in the film to embrace a bit more of the Hollywood cliches that it utilizes to send audiences home happy, instead of summoning more of the bleakness that the individualized chapters of this film responsibly mustered. Some will debate this instance with the intended outlook of what will inevitably transpire in the distance beyond the movie’s encompassing, but I think even getting to that instance requires a bit more suspension of disbelief to the integrity of the audience, resulting in some lost momentum for the film’s final feelings, which seem to be the only noticeable flaw to Trachtenberg’s filmmaking.

OVERALL
“Predator: Killer of Killers” continues to breathe new life into a once flailing franchise, with Dan Trachtenberg returning to conjure what is easily the most ambitiously expansive installment to date in the series. In tapping into a wide range of cross-generational storytelling, the film captures the lengthy devastation of its annihilating alien, showing the audience what it’s been telling us for decades, and with dreamy graphic novel-like animation of the most barbarically brutal variety, the film has limitless potential in the imaginative essence that it continuously unloads on its audience, making this feel like a slash in the right direction for a franchise that has shown the cracks in its armor, from an abundance of inferior installments.

My Grade: 8.3 or B+