As the sixth installment in the iconic Predator franchise, Predator: Killer of Killers, directed by Dan Trachtenberg, delivers a richly imagined, brutally violent, and meticulously crafted animated spectacle.
Predator: Killer of Killers tells three unique stories in an anthology format, with each one rooted in a different historical setting. The first chapter, “The Shield,” takes place in Viking-era Scandinavia, where Norse warrior Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), accompanied by her son Anders (Damien Hass), leads her clan on a mission to wipe out the Krivich tribe and its leader Zoran, who was responsible for her father’s death. However, just as she carries out her vengeance, a dangerous Predator intercepts their path. The second story, “The Sword,” transports viewers to feudal-era Japan, where it focuses on two brothers, Kenji and Kiyoshi (Louis Ozawa), the sons of a warlord. During a training exercise, Kenji runs away, refusing to fight his brother. He returns twenty years later as a ninja, claiming the right to be the successor after their father’s death. As Kenji attacks his samurai brother Kiyoshi and his army, he is unaware that a Yautja is lurking nearby, trying to eliminate everyone in its path.
The third story, “The Bullet,” takes place in the North Atlantic during World War II in 1942. A young man named Torres (Rick Gonzalez) enlists in the U.S. Navy as a fighter pilot. As his crew searches the sky for the mysterious aircraft that downed one of their own, Torres discovers on the ground that the plane is equipped with powerful extraterrestrial weapons. As a result, he gets on a decrepit fighter plane to notify his comrades but ends up battling a Predator-operated aircraft. In the final act, the three stories converge as Ursa, Kenji, and Torres are taken to a Predator stronghold by the warlord Predator, who forces them to fight one another—only the victor will earn the chance to challenge him in a final test of survival.
The film’s screenplay is well-structured and tight, with each segment running about 20–25 minutes, maintaining brisk pacing and smooth narrative flow throughout its 85-minute runtime. Within these brief runtimes, the filmmakers manage to deliver stories with high emotional stakes and compelling character journeys. In “The Shield,” Ursa is driven by a desire for vengeance and will do whatever it takes to attain it. In “The Sword,” two estranged brothers clash over succession, with their emotional journey portrayed through striking visual storytelling, from their childhood fallout to their eventual emotional closure in their final confrontation. In “The Bullet,” Torres’s struggle for self-worth unfolds amid the violence of World War II as he seeks to prove himself while confronting an alien threat. Across these stories, the characters face more than just alien hunters—they battle the weight of expectation, legacy, and inner turmoil.
Using this narrative style, the makers explore exciting and intriguing ideas about how humans—despite being at the top of the food chain—would stand against a superior lifeform—one that’s more skilled, more ruthless, and armed with futuristic weaponry. By situating this conflict in various historical settings, the filmmakers raise timeless questions about survival, evolution, and what it truly means to be a hunter—or the hunted.
In Predator: Killer of Killers, every story adopts a distinctive visual style and atmosphere that suits its historical backdrop, and the same is true of the film’s action. As the film progresses, the action sequences become more elaborate and impactful, raising the stakes with each set piece. In “The Shield,” the action is grounded in raw, brutal combat, evoking the overwhelming might and fury of Viking warriors—similar to the visceral fights depicted in The Northman (2022). “The Sword” shifts gears to showcase stealth and speed, with elegant sword-fighting sequences and a highlight foot chase where a stealth-cloaked Predator pursues Kiyoshi across rooftops. Finally, “The Bullet” delivers the film’s most thrilling action set piece through an aerial dogfight, blending suspense and tactical maneuvering in a sequence as gripping and anxiety-inducing as Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
The animation in the film, provided by The Third Floor, is bold, stylistic, and visually arresting, with influences ranging from Netflix’s Arcane to Love, Sex, and Robots, resulting in richly detailed environments and expressive character designs. Additionally, the film seamlessly expands the Predator franchise, giving it a new spin through its animated medium. Towards the end, director Dan Trachtenberg establishes a link with his previous film, Prey (2022), and lays the groundwork for Predator: Badlands (2025), which is scheduled for release in November, thereby generating excitement for the upcoming chapter.
Predator: Killer of Killers movie link: Letterboxd, Wikipedia
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