4 out of 5

Directed by: Dan Trachtenberg

I’ll reach for some built-in “outs” I had given Predator: Killer of Killers: knowing that it was going to be taking place at least partly in the past had me wondering / worrying how much director Dan Trachtenberg was going to call back to his previous Predator film, Prey; knowing that it was animated had me worrying that we’d be forced into some kind of eye-rolling Spawn or modern Berserk overkill; and knowing that it was structured like an anthology had me worrying that there wouldn’t be much of consequence going on. None of these concerns were really disqualifying – I also had good vibes going into this, with Trachtenberg’s approach to the franchise already well-positioned with Prey – but they were, as I’ve stated, “outs” I was allowing for, prepping my brain for a Just Okay entry.

…Which weren’t needed. The first Predator is an undeniable classic; it’s of a particular breed of 80s action that can’t really be replicated anymore, just as Predator 2 sits in that sweet range of lesser-than 90s sequels that taps into that era’s trashy grit in an (mostly) acceptably cheeky way. But the various attempts to follow that pairing have mostly needed those outs, even when I enjoyed them. So I’m firstly kind of carving out a special place for Predator 1 and 2, and secondly backing up that I don’t think I have blinders on when I say: Killer of Killers may be the best Predator film.

If you went into this mostly blind – which you should – the basic gist I outlined is mostly all you need: we have three separate interactions with a Predator across three different timelines. It is animated, and it is done in the same type of low frame rate that Spider-Man popularized, and though that’s one thing I’d question out of the filmmakers’ decisions, the character design, direction, and animation is all otherwise just so top-notch that I can easily overlook a bandwagon stylistic choice. The frame rate arguably ups the “grit” somewhat, but I also think the writing and direction plenty take care of that.

As to the potentially worrisome over-the-topness, KoK is definitely gory, but it never feels like it’s trying to up the ante in an Invincible fashion, rather choosing a level of intensity that makes sense for each section, and its featured fight. It’s also cool as fuck without being too in-your-face about it: again, each section feels somewhat tailored to achieve a vibe, and that vibe isn’t always John Wick swagger. The action can definitely be celebratory, but it can also be tainted with tragedy, and tense as hell at the same time. Not that we should ever undervalue animated features, but beyond some animes, I don’t know that I’ve seen an animated film that’s achieved this type of edge-of-your seat, where-do-we-go-from here type moments.

Storywise… we almost get there. Trachtenberg, writer Micho Robert Rutare, and edtior Stefan Grube went with a 90ish minute runtime, which I think was ultimately the best choice, but our vignettes have to trade in some cliche to get their points across effectively, and that stiffens some otherwise excellent voice performances, but it’s moreso a problem when those cliches have to build to a payoff in the film’s final section. Basically: we just needed maybe about ten more minutes to make the ending really click. On the one hand, this is one of the most tense parts of the movie, but some of its beats come across like shortcuts, even if they narratively are totally viable – again, maybe two or three interactions to have really landed it.

None of this changes my top-of-the-pops take, though. Obviously this doesn’t exist without Predator (and 2, getting some of the standard sequel stuff off the table), but still: this is the kind of movie that hypes you up to want to watch it again and again with different groups of people, experiencing its highs all over again.