ANI-MOVIES, *Predator: Killer Of Killers

After 5 live-action movies and 2 crossover films, we finally get a full-length feature of the Yuatja. Predator: Killer Of Killers follows the path that The Animatrix and Batman: Gotham Knight did before it and took an established media franchise and made an anthology movie about it with most of the stories tying together into a single narrative at the end. We've seen this before in other productions like Halo Legends, however this one is actually canon to the Predator series, either that or its in a parallel universe. This was directed by Dan Trachtenberg who had already done Prey, and then followed that up with Predator: Badlands, plus he wrote the screenplay for this with Micho Robert Rutare. 20th Century Animation created a gorgeous production, although the constant low frame rate is getting a little tired with every animated movie trying to keep up with the Spider-Verse movies.

The first chapter is The Shield where the viking warrior woman Ursa takes her son on a quest to avenge her father's killer, only to be interrupted by a Predator, and she is taken prisoner by the other Yuatja after killing the alien hunter. Next is The Sword about the samurai Kenji who has a duel with his brother to settle a decades-long feud over their father's armor, but they end up working together to stop another Predator with Kenji's brother dying to save his life, although Kenji himself is also collected by the Predators and put on ice along with several other humans for centuries. The third story is The Bullet which is a WWII tale where a young American pilot named Torres manages to shoot down a Predator airship only for himself to later get abducted sometime after the war. All three heroes are awakened on a different planet where they all have to fight to the death to have the honor of taking down a Predator champion. However, the trio of Earthlings ally themselves to escape on a spaceship, but only at the sacrifice of Ursa becoming a captive again. The film ends with some other Yuatja taking some frozen leftovers from past Predator movies hinting that there will be a big future team-up for survivors in another installment.

As a Predator movie, this was pretty good, but as an animated action flick it's a little below average with its graffiti-styled graphics. The action is turned up to 12 compared to the other Predator films, but that's mostly when the humans are fighting other humans, with the viking chapter being especially gory, although that might have been the reason this didn't get a theatrical release and went straight to streaming. Pred-Heads will more than likely get their blood pumping on this, but it doesn't have the lasting power of the previous good Predator movies.