\n\tA Viking warrior, a Japanese ninja and a Hispanic World War II fighter pilot walk into a bar\u2026<\/p>\n
\n\tIt\u2019s not the beginning of a bad joke, but rather the unlikely connective tissue in the new animated Predator movie directed by Dan Trachtenberg<\/a>, who has undeniably given the franchise new creative life. Premiering on Hulu domestically, Predator: Killer of Killers serves as a fan-pleasing amuse-bouche between the last film in the series, 2022\u2019s critically acclaimed Prey<\/a> (also directed by Trachtenberg), and the upcoming Predator: Badlands<\/a>, opening in theaters this November.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tPredator: Killer of Killers\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\tThe Bottom Line<\/p>\n \tA satisfying dip into the Predator-Verse.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tRelease date<\/strong>: Friday, June 5 \n\tThis anthology-style entry, divided into three chapters plus a final segment that ties up the stories in highly imaginative fashion, reveals the versatility of the franchise. Like the video games, it shows that the alien killers are just as fearsome in animated form. And with its time-hopping storylines \u2014 taking place in the first, 17th, and 20th centuries, respectively \u2014 it demonstrates that the Predators can effectively be plunked into any era. The crossover possibilities seem endless \u2014 get ready for \u201cPredator vs. the Karate Kid.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe storylines are not exactly complex. In the first, entitled \u201cThe Shield,\u201d a middle-aged female warrior \u2014 \u201cYou look like a Viking washerwoman,\u201d one of her enemies sneers \u2014 seeks brutal revenge on those who wronged her, only to have her mission disrupted by the arrival of a Predator. In the ensuing violent confrontation, her son is killed.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe Sword,\u201d taking place in feudal Japan, focuses on the fierce rivalry between two brothers that becomes a fight to the death after their father\u2019s demise. When a Predator shows up, they overcome their hostility to join forces against it.<\/p>\n \n\tAnd in \u201cThe Bullet,\u201d set in 1941, a young pilot figures out that the alien vessel threatening his fellow flyers is not the enemy they think it is. \u201cFellows, don\u2019t engage with whatever that is,\u201d he implores them, to no avail. After his aircraft takes a hit, he manages to repair the wing while still in mid-air like an animated Tom Cruise and later channels Harrison Ford when he tells one of the creatures, \u201cGet off my plane!\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tSo far, so simplistic. But screenwriter Micho Robert Rutare, working from a story devised with Trachtenberg, ties things together in an extremely clever, satisfying manner that won\u2019t be disclosed here but that makes the film more than the sum of its parts.<\/p>\n \n\tMore to the point, Predator: Killer of Killers provides the non-stop action that the diehard fans crave. And no concession has been made to the animated format; the film easily earns its R rating with copious amounts of gruesome violence and bloody gore that should well sate viewers\u2019 bloodthirsty tendencies. The animation takes a bit of getting used to, with its exaggerated, video game-style visuals, but it serves the material well. <\/p>\n
Cast<\/strong>: Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, Michael Biehn
Director<\/strong>: Dan Trachtenberg
Co-director<\/strong>: Joss Wassung
Screenwriter<\/strong>: Micho Robert Rutare
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRated R,
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 hour 30 minutes\n\t\t<\/p>\n