Today's movie review is from my lovely wife who, when she's not geeking out with me over our hobbies, is doing amazing creative stuff over at @happykidohyeah!
If "Predator: Killer of Killers" is meant as fanservice to generations of Predator fans, then this definitely served!
The latest (and bloodiest) addition to the Predator franchise, gloriously animated by Third Floor (Rogue One and Guardians of the Galaxy among the feathers in their cap) and directed by Dan Trachtenberg, is the Rule of Cool at its goriest.
Even with minimal dialogue, the characters are well fleshed out, letting their badass actions do the talking. There’s a good reason why they went with 3D animation; with the fast-paced, kinetic action and complex imagery, animation is the only way to do this justice.
The movie is told in three separate stories from three different eras on earth, each having their own titles: "The Shield,” "The Sword,” and "The Bullet."
In “The Shield,” Viking warrior Ursa sets off with her clan on a crusade to avenge her father by defeating the Krivich warlord Zoran. But in doing so, she crosses paths with a hulking Predator (with a modified, weaponized hand!), who tears through Ursa’s clan. Not willing to go to Valhalla just yet, she uses her warrior instincts and resourcefulness to battle the Predator to the death. A death among the many in this episode alone.
I guess there’s no Predator without extreme violence, and the gore hits you like a gut punch, yet it establishes the dire stakes in a very effective way. But the bloodbath is not the end of the story, and the final scene transitions to Ursa sitting in a futuristic room with a collar on her neck, with everything that happened before revealed to be a flashback. This was a cool way to connect every story in the movie.
The next story, “The Sword,” made me squee like the filthy little fangirl that I am—they're doing a samurai vs Predator fight! Set in feudal Japan, brothers Kenji and Kyoshi reluctantly fight for their warlord father's seat (giving us major Loki x Thor vibes). Fast forward 20 years later and Kyoshi has taken his father’s mantle, while Kenji, who ran away after their childhood battle, has become a ninja (is it my birthday yet? Because this movie is a gift that keeps on giving!) plotting revenge.
Said revenge involves a thrilling fight sequence between the brothers that is just pure masterpiece, with a clever sequence of Kyoshi putting on his samurai suit piece by piece amidst dodging Kenji's attacks a la Iron Man, all the while the Predator silently hiding and waiting for the victor to emerge.
From the bloody cat-and-mouse game between Kenji and the Predator to the very ninja way of dealing with said Predator, there’s plenty of intense action for you to chew on. And just like Ursa’s story, this one is revealed to also be a flashback. At this point, you’re wondering if Predators can time travel with our two characters to be coming from different time periods.
The movie continues in “The Bullet,” set in World War 2. Here, a young man named Torres is drafted to be a fighter pilot for the US Navy. His dad and superiors wish he was as good with fixing his planes as he was piloting them. But he’s forced to get very good soon, because he’ll come face-to-face with a deadly Predator flying a heavily armed spacecraft hunting for prey!
This is where brains over brawns come in handy to take down an entire spacecraft, with Torres using his quick thinking and lessons learned from his dad to outmaneuver and outthink this new Predator. Like Dutch in Predator all those years ago, sometimes you just have to improvise.
Just when you thought the movie would be over, the flashbacks stop and Ursa, Kenji, and Torres are revealed to be captives of the Predators and turned into gladiators in a Predator arena!
The twist is incredible, and it’s in the arena where we see their different fighting styles. Can a ninja beat a raging Viking? Can a pilot with a gun beat them both? Questions that are fun to answer, and just some of the many fun moments in Predator: Killer of Killers.
In true Predator fashion, they literally hunt for sport, gathering anyone who was able to win against their fighters across the years and planets. There are also fun Easter eggs that make you excited for more of this kind of Predator movie.
With "Predator: Badlands" coming later this year, and the Alien franchise giving us "Alien: Romulus" and "Alien: Earth," are we to expect another crossover in the future? Is it the early 2000s all over again? Who knows? But fans are eating good!
Predator: Killer of Killers is now streaming on Disney+.
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