Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
★★★½ — Predator: Killer of Killers (2025)
The Predator franchise has always had a knack for asking one simple question: what happens when the universe's most efficient hunter meets someone who genuinely knows how to fight back? Since John McTiernan's 1987 original, the series has explored that premise across jungles, cities and, more recently, the North American frontier. Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) takes things in a fresh direction altogether, shifting the format to animation and stretching the concept across three distinct periods of human history. A Viking raider, a ninja in feudal Japan, and a Second World War pilot each find themselves facing the same alien predator, and each brings a very different set of skills to that confrontation. At 85 minutes, the film moves quickly, structured in a way that lets each era breathe without overstaying its welcome.
The project comes from Dan Trachtenberg, who has become the de facto custodian of this corner of the science fiction world. His Prey (2022) was widely regarded as a genuine reinvention of the franchise, and he has clearly committed to exploring what these creatures mean across different historical contexts, with Predator: Badlands (2025) also on his slate. Produced through 20th Century Studios alongside Davis Entertainment and Lawrence Gordon Productions (the latter being a name closely tied to the franchise going back decades), this animated feature is something of a bold swing. Animation and science fiction action do not always find a comfortable home together in live-action franchises, and comparisons to other animated genre work, from the grounded realism of Fantastic Planet (1973) to the more intimate storytelling of No Dogs or Italians Allowed (2022), illustrate just how wide the tonal spectrum can run in the medium. Trachtenberg's choice of animation here allows for a scale and a period versatility that would be enormously costly to achieve in live action, and the film does not shy away from the franchise's reputation for visceral, uncompromising violence.
The voice cast includes Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, Doug Cockle, and Michael Biehn, a name that will mean something to anyone who grew up watching genre cinema in the 1980s and 1990s. Biehn has a long history with science fiction action, and his presence here feels like a conscious nod to that lineage. The combination of a cast drawn from across film and television, paired with a director who has demonstrated he understands what makes this alien hunter genuinely frightening rather than merely spectacular, suggests a production that was aiming for something more considered than a straightforward cash-in on an established name.
These are exact scenarios me and my buddies cooked up. Predator vs Samurai, Vikings, WW2 soldiers. I've gotta admit... I appreciate the art style but I really don't like it. It reminds me of the recent Star Wars animated media so if that's to your taste you'll love this. Michael Biehn (Aka Kyle Reese from Terminator) is one of the voice actors so that's awesome. The film is episodic (which I really enjoy) and the animation (art style aside) is super impressive. The Samurai section is by far the best for me with the Viking section being by far the worst (dragging the whole score down). It's super gory too which is perfect for this series. I do feel like we're in safe hands with Dan Trachtenberg. I won't give away any spoilers but the ending is so freaking awesome. I hope to see where this goes.
I think that ambivalence around the art style is worth sitting with, because it points to something real about how these franchise animated projects can divide an audience right down the middle. For me, the episodic structure is exactly the right call for a concept built on variety, and when the action lands, it genuinely lands. The feudal Japan section in particular has the kind of kinetic, choreographed energy that reminds you why you fell for this genre in the first place, something Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) understood about grounding spectacle in physical discipline and weight. Trachtenberg clearly knows the material and respects it, and that matters more than a few reservations about visual style. Sometimes knowing you're in safe hands is half the battle.
Rating: ★★★½ | Year: 2025 | Watched: 2025-06-07
Trailer
▶ Watch the official trailer for Predator: Killer of Killers (2025) on YouTube
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Disney Plus
Physical: Amazon UK · Zavvi
Watch in the US
Stream: Hulu
Physical: Amazon US
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from Dan Trachtenberg: Predator: Badlands (2025) · Prey (2022)
More from the 2020s: Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025) · The Long Walk (2025) · Americana (2023)
More animation: Fantastic Planet (1973) · Alice in Wonderland (1951) · Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) · Mononoke the Movie: Chapter II - The Ashes of Rage (2025)
More action: A Better Tomorrow (1986) · The General (1926) · Hand of Death (1976) · Daredevil (2003)
