--- title: "Predator: Killer of Killers" year: 2025 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/predator-killer-of-killers" fi1m_score: 72 critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 13 published: "2026-09-19T17:03:57.716121+00:00" updated: "2026-09-19T17:04:20.287149+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) Directed by Dan Trachtenberg · 1h 25m · MPA R · Animation, Action, Science Fiction, Thriller **Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 79 from 13 reviews *In a sentence:* Three centuries of warriors, one alien with a grudge against all of them, and only the pilot gets a character > Dan Trachtenberg takes the Predator through the Viking age, feudal Japan and the Pacific war in 85 animated minutes, and the fights are as inventive as any the series has staged. The people being fought over are thinner than the blades. Worth an evening if the franchise is yours. ## Synopsis Three warriors from three centuries, each hunted by the same kind of thing. Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), a Viking raider, sails a longship across grey water to settle a blood debt with Chief Zoran (Andrew Morgado), with her young son Anders (Damien C. Haas) beside her to learn how killing is done; the raid is barely finished before something invisible starts taking her crew apart in the snow. In feudal Japan, Kenji (Louis Ozawa Changchien) returns to the castle held by his brother Kiyoshi and finds a third party has climbed the walls ahead of him. In the Pacific during the Second World War, Torres (Rick Gonzalez), a mechanic who would rather fly, is told to stay in his lane by the pilot Vandy (Michael Biehn) as a shape in the clouds begins picking off aircraft. A wraparound story connects the three. ## Review Dan Trachtenberg made [*Prey*](https://film.one/film/prey) in 2022, the best thing to happen to this series since 1987. *Predator: Killer of Killers* is his follow-up, and it is a different animal: animated, an anthology, 85 minutes long. Micho Rutare’s screenplay sends the creatures after a Viking raider, a Japanese swordsman and an American pilot, then binds the three together in a wraparound we will not describe. It is good, it is lopsided, and it is best when it stops talking. The first story belongs to Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), who sails a longship across grey water to kill Chief Zoran (Andrew Morgado) and settle an old debt, with her son Anders (Damien C. Haas) beside her to learn how it is done. The look is set here and holds: heavy outlines over backgrounds like wet paint, snow nearly white, blood nearly black. Joel Chang and Amee Carter’s production design gives Zoran a fortress of black timber on broken rock, and the raid is staged with a clarity live action rarely manages. Then the snow starts moving on its own. We winced at the first kill, as intended; by the fourth we had stopped, which is a problem the film never solves. The second, set in feudal Japan, is almost wordless and the handsomest of the three. Kenji (Louis Ozawa Changchien) returns to the castle held by his brother Kiyoshi, whom Changchien also voices, and the film climbs the walls with him in the rain, over tiled roofs and through paper screens that tear like skin. Trachtenberg has always known the Predator works best as a shape you half saw, and here Benjamin Wallfisch’s score drops to a struck drum and a held string while the brothers and their uninvited guest circle one another. It is also the story we had seen most often before. Two brothers, one castle, a father’s shadow: the film knows we can fill in the rest. The third is the best. Torres (Rick Gonzalez) is a mechanic in the Pacific in the Second World War who wants to fly and is told to stay in his lane by the pilot Vandy (Michael Biehn, of [*Aliens*](https://film.one/film/aliens), a voice like an old friend at a wake), while Delgado (Alessa Luz Martinez) gets on with the job. What follows is a dogfight between propeller aircraft and something that does not need propellers, and it is where the animation earns its keep. Aircraft roll, stall and shed pieces; the camera does things no camera on a real carrier could; Stefan Grube cuts it fast without losing us once. We sat up. We had been admiring the film until then, which is not the same as enjoying it; Torres is the first person on screen we were afraid for. The animation is not consistent. The fights run at a stuttered frame rate that gives the blows weight, but in quieter scenes faces go slack and lips disagree with lines, like an expensive video game cutscene. Wallfisch is good at menace and less good at people: a great deal of low brass, not much melody. Grube’s cutting between stories is clean, but 85 minutes divided three ways, plus a fourth to house them, leaves each warrior the depth of a trading card. Ursa is brave and angry. Kenji is quiet and angry. Torres is eager. The film tells us this is about honour and what you owe the people beside you, then says so out loud, twice. It sits below *Prey*, which understood that one hunter and one hunted is the whole engine, and well above the two *Alien vs. Predator* films, a low bar cleared easily. It is closer in spirit to the 1987 original than anything since: the creature is a problem to solve with what is to hand, not a mythology to recite, though the wraparound cannot resist a little reciting. Most critics have been warmer, and we understand why: the kills are inventive, the pace is quick, nothing here is lazy. We wanted one of the three stories to have room to breathe, and the anthology is built so that none can. It was made for the small screen and it suits one. Watch it with the sound up on a dark evening, forgive the faces, and wait for the aircraft. *Fi1m score 72, published 19 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics like it, and eleven of the thirteen reviews so far are positive. The praise clusters on the action: the fight choreography, the volume and inventiveness of the gore, and the anthology structure that moves a Predator through Viking Scandinavia, feudal Japan and a Second World War dogfight before a finale that ties the three stories together. Several reviews single out the aerial segment as the strongest of the three, and a good many admire the animation for taking the violence further than live action would allow. The reservations are consistent and mild. The short runtime leaves the human characters thin, and Empire finds the whole thing closer to a teaser than a film. The Guardian thinks it slick to a fault and misses the spark of the live-action entries; Radio Times calls the tone juvenile and the visuals video-game-like; Paste finds the cel-shaded animation uneven. Nobody is negative, the spread is narrow, and the dissent is almost entirely British. ### Reviews we read (13) - **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (90/100, inferred): The review calls it a gloriously fun, awesomely violent animated spinoff that highlights the franchise's full potential through its death-match premise across history. It praises the streaming treat co-directed by Dan Trachtenberg for its energetic execution. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/predator-killer-of-killers-review-hulu-1235129557/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Frank Scheck (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the animated anthology a satisfying, fan-pleasing entry that inventively expands the Predator franchise across time periods with clever story connections. It delivers nonstop gruesome action and violence without concessions to the animation format. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/predator-killer-of-killers-review-dan-trachtenbergs-animated-anthology-puts-an-inventive-spin-on-a-durable-franchise-1236247198/) - **Variety**, Carlos Aguilar (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the animated anthology as a thrilling, stylized triptych that effectively uses the medium to deliver intense, stylized violence and action set-pieces across different historical eras. They single out the impressive visuals, thematic integration, and inclusion of diverse characters for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/predator-killer-of-killers-review-hulu-1236418676/) - **The AV Club**, Toussaint Egan (B+): The critic hails the gruesome animated anthology as a lean, mean action-thriller that captures the heart of the series with its historical vignettes pitting warriors against Predators. It singles out the frenetic, novel action sequences and unique Yautja designs for praise while noting callbacks that set up future entries. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/predator-killer-of-killers-review) - **Empire**, John Nugent (70/100, inferred): The animated anthology delivers gory kills and visual flair across Viking, ninja and WWII pilot segments, with the aerial battles standing out as the strongest, but the short runtime leaves characters thin and the whole feels like a teaser. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/predator-killer-of-killers/) - **Slant Magazine**, Justin Clark (70/100, inferred): The review describes it as a thrilling, quick-and-efficient animated anthology that expands the universe with visceral combat across eras, excelling in bloody, choreographed fight scenes. It notes the twisty climax ties the stories together effectively despite limited character depth in the vignettes. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/predator-killer-of-killers-review/) - **The Guardian** (65/100, inferred): The critic finds the animated anthology an inventive but uneven extension of the franchise, with Predators hunting in Viking, samurai Japan and WWII settings, but notes it lacks the spark of live action and feels slick to a fault. The final arena showdown on the Predator homeworld offers some decent jokes and communication gags that keep the series fresh after nearly 40 years. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/05/predator-killer-of-killers-review-animated-anthology-of-arnies-old-antagonists) - **Radio Times**, Calum Baker (3/5): The critic finds the animated anthology diverting enough mayhem with satisfying cartoon ingenuity, especially in the Pacific dogfight sequences, and unmissable for franchise fans. They single out the juvenile tone, video-game-like visuals and half-hearted themes about honour and teamwork as drawbacks. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-fjillp/predator-killer-of-killers/) - **Collider**, Aidan Kelley (9/10): The critic praises the anthology structure that quickly establishes compelling human protagonists across three eras, the visually striking Spider-Verse and Arcane-inspired animation that makes it the most beautiful film in the franchise, and the brutal, inventive action sequences that continue the series' bloody spectacle while adding intriguing lore connections. [Read](https://collider.com/predator-killer-of-killers-review/) - **Consequence** (A-): The critic celebrates the film's recharging of the franchise through strong storytelling, a clever anthology structure that unites the segments in a rousing finale, and especially the inventive, crowd-pleasing action sequences with buckets of blood and creative violence in varied styles from medieval to aerial combat. [Read](https://consequence.net/2025/06/predator-killer-of-killers-review-hulu/) - **/Film**, Jeremy Mathai (8/10): The critic calls the animated anthology a vital, brutal, and visually stunning addition to the franchise that proves the future of Predator has never felt brighter. They single out the precise direction, character-driven stories across distinct historical periods and genres, and the way the tight 84-minute runtime invests viewers in the humans before unleashing meaningful gore. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1875764/predator-killer-of-killers-review/) - **Paste**, Jim Vorel (7.7/10): The review highlights the gonzo, brutal action and satisfying anthology format that builds to a uniting finale with inventive ultraviolence and genre thrills, while noting the cel-shaded animation is uneven and hit-or-miss in fidelity and fluidity compared to higher-end styles. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/predator/predator-killer-of-killers-review-hulu-anthology-animation-dan-trachtenberg-badlands-connections) - **The Wrap** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the animated anthology an entertaining if simplistic blast from the past that effectively showcases historical Predator encounters but risks repetition across its short segments. The WWII aerial story stands out for its fresh take and thrilling action, while the wraparound narrative adds some franchise mythology. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/predator-killer-of-killers-review-hulu/) ## Details - **Director:** Dan Trachtenberg - **Director:** Dan Trachtenberg - **Screenplay:** Micho Rutare - **Story:** Dan Trachtenberg, Micho Rutare - **Editor:** Stefan Grube - **Music:** Benjamin Wallfisch - **Production design:** Joel Chang, Amee Carter - **Producer:** John Davis, Dan Trachtenberg, Marc Toberoff - **Cast:** Lindsay LaVanchy as Ursa (voice); Louis Ozawa Changchien as Kenji / Kiyoshi (voice); Rick Gonzalez as Torres (voice); Michael Biehn as Vandy (voice); Doug Cockle as Einar (voice); Damien C. Haas as Anders (voice); Lauren Holt as Freya (voice); Jeff Leach as Ivar (voice) - **Runtime:** 1h 25m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 6 June 2025 - **Genres:** Animation, Action, Science Fiction, Thriller - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbddYji1F8s ## Where to watch in the US - Hulu: streaming, uhd - Disney+: add-on, uhd *Checked 2026-09-19.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, IE, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Prey* (2022), Fi1m 76: Trachtenberg’s previous hunt, live action, one forest, and nobody stops to explain anything. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/prey.md) - *Primal* (2019): Genndy Tartakovsky’s wordless caveman-and-dinosaur series; the same brutality, with more feeling. - *Ninja Scroll* (1993): Japanese animation where swordsmen and monsters meet in rain; the Kenji segment’s grandfather. - *The Northman* (2022): Robert Eggers’s Viking revenge in mud and firelight, for those who wanted Ursa’s story at length. - *Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse* (2018), Fi1m 87: The painted, stuttering house style this film borrows, done with more control and more heart. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/spider-man-into-the-spider-verse.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. 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