Predator: Killer of Killers is one of two Predator films coming in 2025, both by Prey director Dan Trachtenberg. But while that film and Predator: Badlands, due this November, are live-action, Killer of Killers is an animated anthology film that sees the titular alien go head to head with various warriors across the centuries. From Vikings to Samurai and ninja, to a WWII aviator, there’s quite a lot of variety. But is the movie any good, or is it merely a showcase for cool action scenes? Let’s find out.

The short answer is a very resounding yes. Predator: Killer of Killers is pretty kickass. It’s short and sweet, at around an hour and a half, with some gorgeous animation, some slick and creative kills, and some interesting stories and characters to boot, which elevated it beyond just being a showcase for some slick action set-pieces. The film is broken up into three core segments, but there is a loose plot thread that connects all three arcs together by the end. The first one involes a Viking plot involving a mother taking her son out on his first raid, the second one is a near-silent Samurai/ninja plot set in the 1600s, and the third involves a mechanic turned hopeful pilot during the Second World War. In each instance, the leads of the given story find themselves face-to-face with a Predator while dealing with their own struggles.

Of the three, I’d say the Samurai/ninja story was the most interesting to me, mainly because it told its story in a visual medium, with barely any dialogue at all. Yet despite this, I was able to fully understand and invest in the micro story that was being told. Plus, I found the action in this part to be the most interesting and creative, thanks to slicker moves.

The animation is really nice and will make those who are fans of Arcane, Blue Eye Samurai, or Spider-Verse happy for sure, thanks to its 2D/3D hybrid animation style that looks like it’s missing a few frames. I know it doesn’t land well for everyone, but I really like this style. The voice acting is also really good and features the likes of Lindsay LaVanchy as the Viking matriarch Ursa, Louis Ozawa as both Kenji and Kiyoshi, Rick Gonzalez as Torres, and Michael friggin Biehn as his superior officer, Vandy.

The action was also awesome. Remember that scene in Prey where the Predator takes on the trappers in the smoke? Think that, but so much more of that. And thanks to the power of the animation medium, there’s no real constraints on what the action can be. So it was pretty over the top and gnarly, but in an entertaining way. The action basically never repeated itself because each of the three Predators operated quite differently, whether that be brute force, sneaky infiltrator, or an ace aviator. So it’s not just a series of stabs or punches for an hour and a half; there’s always something new. By nature of its own limitations, the aviation sequence is the one that feels the most samey, but it was still creative and fresh because we’ve never seen Predator aviators before.

There’s also more beyond these stories that I won’t spoil, but this film does add and explore more of the Yautja (that’s what the Predator species is called) culture and mythology. It also leaves the door open for a follow-up in more than one way, so I’m quite curious to see where this franchise could go, whether this be in the animated medium or live-action.

It’s a solid time to be alive for Predator and Aliens fans. After a string of duds over the decades, both franchises seem alive and well these days and hopefully, will collide one day in the future in a new Alien vs Predator film. Until then, Killer of Killers is a worthy and entertaining action flick with some of the best action in the franchise, and it’s currently available on Disney+ and Hulu, depending on your location.