The characters are pretty generic, but where the story takes them is what makes Predator: Killer of Killers worth watching. Like Prey before it, Killer of Killers doesn’t constrain itself to the beats of the 1987 original, which many of the subsequent sequels tried shamelessly to replicate. Killer of Killers goes further than its predecessor, boasting a variety of new Predator designs, gadgets, weapons, and even whole worlds. This series has been positively reinvigorated.

This animated anthology concerns three great warriors from three distant periods in history and their battles with their own distinct variants of Predator. They consist of a Viking warrior princess, a Japanese samurai, and a World War II fighter pilot. Eventually, the three warriors meet as they are taken to a Predator planet where they must fight to the death, the reward being the title of killer of killers.

The Characters

The Viking warrior princess and the Japanese Samurai are not the most entertaining to watch. They remind me of the cast of 300; constantly brooding and constantly mumbling about war and vengeance. They don’t attract much sympathy and perhaps they’re not supposed to. As challengers for their Predators, they’re perfect matches and make for great fight sequences.

The World War II pilot is by far the most engaging to watch. The fact that he speaks English and is from a much more recent period definitely helps. On top of that, he expresses more emotions than his two competitors: no brooding but plenty of sarcasm and panic.

The characters are mostly vehicles for us to navigate their distinct time periods, fight sequences and individual Predators. Basically, Killer of Killers puts style before substance, which is far from a disadvantage in its case.

The Worldbuilding

If you find the three warriors and their stories boring, stick it out. The climax is worth it. We get a whole sequence set on a Predator planet full of Predator tech, Predator ships and Predator creatures.

The one element from the 1987 original that a sequel had to expand on was the Predator itself. Its look, costume and weaponry told a story that was lightyears in scope. Predator 2 and the Alien Vs Predator series touched upon that story, but were just too timid. You have to wait until the very end of those films to see something new. That’s not the case with the Killer of Killers. Predator fans will get a very generous fix.

Now this isn’t to say that the three stories with the warriors don’t expand the mythology in some way. Each Predator they encounter is unique; they have different looks, different builds and different technology. For example, the Predator the warrior princess fights has a robotic gauntlet fused to its arm with multiple weapons. Another good example is the hunter our World War II pilot encounters. This Predator hunts with its ship in a stunning dogfight with Navy fighter planes. Not only that, this Predator boasts a cybernetic look with metallic implants in its face.

Killer of Killers could totally do for the Predator franchise what The Force Awakens did for Star Wars. Like The Force Awakens, it’s bland, but it could open the door for bigger and better things. Killer of Killers proves that a Predator story doesn’t have to come down to an alien killing a bunch of alpha males.

Can’t wait for Badlands. Hope it doesn’t disappoint.

I give Predator: Killer of Killers a bloody 7 out of 10.