Predator: Killer of Killers Review – This Deserved the Big Screen

Why Didn’t They Release This in Cinemas? It Was Awesome.

As I make my way back down the Road to Badlands, Disney has quietly dropped a surprise entry in the Predator franchise—Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Killer of Killers—an animated anthology film that deserves way more attention than it's getting.

This unique installment tells three standalone stories set in vastly different time periods, each exploring humanity’s encounters with the iconic alien hunters:

Viking Era

Feudal Japan

World War II

Each tale could easily have worked as its own feature film, and honestly, I wish they had been. Ever since Prey, I've been dreaming of a Predator film set in feudal Japan—specifically one where Hiroyuki Sanada plays an aging samurai passing his wisdom to a young apprentice, mirrored by a young Predator learning from its elder. While we didn’t get that exact film, we do finally get a Predator story in Japan, and it absolutely delivered.

While some fans may have preferred three completely unconnected shorts, I actually appreciated how the film ties them all together into a cohesive narrative, giving the anthology a sense of purpose and payoff. It felt more like a complete film rather than a stitched-together set of vignettes.

One of the true standouts here is the animation. A stunning blend of 2D and 3D, the film straddles the line between animated and live-action. The textured, gritty visual style gives it a rawness that sets it apart from most other adult animated features. It looks incredible.

The score, composed by Benjamin Wallfisch, is easily the best Predator score since Alan Silvestri’s original. Wallfisch blends cultural instrumentation with tension-filled motifs to match the film’s shifting time periods, resulting in a soundtrack that’s as atmospheric as it is thrilling.

As for the voice cast, it’s top-tier. You might recognize names like Michael Biehn, but the performances are so locked into their characters that it’s nearly impossible to tell who’s who. That’s a testament to how immersive and well-acted this film is—every voice feels authentic and emotionally grounded.

Dan Trachtenberg once again proves he’s a master at revitalizing the Predator franchise. That he managed to make this in secret, while also working on the upcoming Badlands, is honestly mind-blowing. This feels like a passion project years in the making, not a side release.

Predator: Killer of Killers is a masterstroke of voice acting, animation, storytelling, and world-building. For me, it surpasses Prey and might just be the best Predator film to date.

5 out of 5 stars. 10 out of 10.

Disney seriously missed a massive opportunity by not giving this a theatrical release.

Thanks for reading! Have you seen Predator: Killer of Killers yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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