Predator: Killer of Killers is the brand-new sixth film in the legendary horror-action franchise. Directed by Dan Trachtenberg (who helmed the franchise’s comeback entry, Prey) alongside Joshua Wassung, it was created in secret, first announced in April 2025; it’s also the first animated feature film in the franchise. Written by Micho Robert Rutare, based on a story by Rutare and Trachtenberg, it features animation from The Third Floor, Inc, who have worked on numerous projects including Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. Produced by 20th Century Studios, the film launched straight to Hulu in select territories and Disney+ worldwide on June 6th, 2025. The film is an anthology, made up of three vignettes that feature warriors from various time periods and locations taking on the mysterious Yautja, the titular predatory alien. Whilst that might not appeal to some in theory, the end result is not only one of the best films in the franchise, but one of the most entertaining and exciting films of the year, one that knows exactly what type of film it is and is dedicated to ensuring the viewer has the best time possible with it.
The first section, set in Scandinavia in 841, follows viking warrior Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), who leads her son Anders (Damien Haas) on an expedition to destroy the Krivichs and their leader Zoran (Andrew Morgado), who killed Ursa’s father Einar (Doug Cockle) in her youth. Along the way, Ursa will have to face off against a particularly tall and powerful Yautja, who is out for blood. This section is incredible, a disarming way to open the film by having it take its time to establish the human characters and revenge story well before introducing the giant alien monster about to wreck mayhem on the lives of the cast. It uses the trappings of classical Viking revenge stories to get the viewer invested, before turning that on its head via the introduction of one of the scariest Yautja across the whole series, a gigantic hulking brute who can physically outmatch almost any opponent thrown his way. The low-tech conflict here is interesting and exciting, as we effectively see a sheer battle of wits and strength, not tech, and it’s ridiculously cool to see Ursa challenge the beast and try to outsmart him. LaVanchy does a fantastic job with the voice acting, a hard task given how much of her dialogue is in an approximation of Old Norse, but she stands out as one of the best vocal performances in the film.
The second section, set in Japan in 1609, follows the shinobi Kenji (Louis Ozawa Changchien), who returns home after two decades in exile to confront his brother Kiyoshi (Louis Ozawa Changchien as well, in a duel role), now a samurai warlord, unaware that he’s being followed by a Predator. This section is almost entirely dialogue free, and it’s a testament to its quality that I barely even noticed that fact until well into the story. In comparison to the brute physicality of the previous section, this one focuses more on stealth and small-scale weaponry, similarly to Prey. The story is incredibly compelling, and they make you care about the brotherly bond between Kenji and Kiyoshi almost entirely though competent and impactful visual storytelling, given the lack of dialogue exchanges between the two. I actually got quite emotional at the conclusion, which is a testament to how well this story is told in the span of only 20 or so minutes. It’s probably the best part of the film, and has a sense of sheer cool factor that is pretty unparalleled in the franchise so far.
The third section, set in America in 1942, follows young pilot John J. Torres (Rick Gonzalez), who discovers that the mysterious aircraft that destroyed another unit was actually a Predator star ship. Some critics have pointed to this section being the film’s weak point, and I would agree, but I don’t think it’s particularly that weak. It swaps to an aerial combat scenario, which is something mostly underexplored across the series, and has a unique setting on top of that. It’s just such a striking tonal difference from the previous two sections. It’s very fun throughout, and Michael Biehn makes an appearance, meaning that he’s now been in three of the biggest science fiction franchises; Alien, Predator and Terminator. Aerial combat is difficult to animate but the Third Floor team do a great job with it here, giving a sense of scale and tension to the conflict that keeps it exciting throughout.
The final section, set on an unnamed alien world, follows Torres, Ursa and Kenji once they awake in a gladiatorial arena, forced to fight for their survival in order to impress a Yautja warlord referred to by Ursa as The Grendel King. This resolves the overarching frame narrative that links together the three sections, as well as providing the film with an epic climax as the three protagonists decide whether to work together or kill one another. It reminded me a lot of Predators, which in my opinion is the most underrated film in the series, so I say that with praise. Providing Killer of Killers with an epic, bloody finale, this section also makes an effort of concluding the (admittedly brief) characters arcs for our three protagonists, and is very satisfying. Whilst it ends on a cliffhanger, if the story is never followed up on it will still feel like a worthwhile adventure to have gone on. The Grendel King is an incredibly cool design for a Predator, with a unique visual appearance that feels thoughtfully designed and intimidating.
The animation by Third Floor Inc is fantastic throughout. Heavily influenced by the visual look of the TV series Arcane, it’s a style that suits the Predator universe incredibly well. It’s detailed and realistic enough that gore and violence still hit hard, but with a sense of kinetic energy that makes everything feel all that much more exciting and riveting. Considering how much of the movies’ production was in secret, over a relatively short time, it’s a miracle that it looks so good. Trachtenberg and Wassung direct the hell out of this movie, with some of the most impactful and thoughtful direction the series has ever had. Each section is only around 20 minutes, and they all breeze by, but they feel detailed and well-thought out on every level, and never feel like they’re trying to much either. It’s a precarious balance to walk, and the movie does it beautifully.
Like previously mentioned, the film ends on a cliffhanger, and also directly ties into previous franchise entries to an extent. If they chose to make further animated Predator films, I am fully on board. The style suits the franchise well, and opens up the door to tell stories that would be too expensive or risky to make into a full live action film. I saw so much interest in 20th Century Studios doing more period piece Predator films after Prey, and Killer of Killers allowed us to get that whilst also getting another live action film this year which looks likely to further explore the larger Predator universe and add new dimensions to the Yautja and their culture (as well as seemingly having a Weyland-Yutani synthetic!) – either way, it’s nice to be a fan of the series right now. A couple years ago, after the disastrous The Predator, I thought the series was done for good, and I’m very glad to be proven wrong. Killer of Killers is fucking awesome, and it feels like exactly the type of movie we need in a series like this; incredibly well made, exciting horror-action flicks that have enough depth to get you invested in their characters.
Overall, Predator: Killer of Killers is a delight. It follows the rule of cool and then some, delivering a straight-up awesome series of vignettes. It knows exactly what audiences want out of a Predator movie and delivers it in spades, whilst making sure every individual sequence feels separate and unique from each other. It’s not wanting to rest on it’s laurels, and earns it’s cool factor by exploring new ways to make the age-old conflict between the Yautja and humanity interesting. Gorgeously animated and incredibly well-directed, it proves that Prey was hardly a fluke, and we are experiencing a new golden age for the franchise under the creative leadership of Dan Trachtenberg. With 2025 still having another Trachtenberg-directed Predator movie left to release, the much anticipated Predator: Badlands, all eyes are on the series to continue its renewed quality going forward. Whether you’re new to the series or a long time fan, Killer of Killers is a great watch, a thrilling, gnarly and riveting addition to the franchise. I mean, let’s be truthful here for a second; it’s got Yautja facing Samurai and Vikings, and that’s nothing less than cool as hell.
