Predator: Killer of Killers – R-rated animated feature is bloody beautiful

If you’d have told me five years ago that Predator might become the hottest franchise in the House of Mouse, I would have laughed. But here we are.

Given new life by 2022’s stellar sequel Prey, the invisible alien hunters are suddenly back in a big way. Now, in advance of Predator: Badlands scheduled for release later this year, 20^th Century Studios has also offered an animated tie-in Predator: Killer of Killers, straight to Disney+.

And, frankly, it’s spectacular.

A scene still from 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

In the anthology story Predator: Killer of Killers, we meet three of history’s greatest warriors: a Viking raider fiercely protecting her son from invaders, a ninja in Feudal Japan who faces off against his brother in a battle over leadership and a WWII pilot who finds himself thrown into the fray against an alien threat. Yet, each character’s world is thrown askew by an encounter with a Predator, spaces greatest hunters. But these alien warriors aren’t merely looking to hunt. They’re hunting the best. What makes them so nasty is that they want a challenge, seeking out the darkest moments of human history in search of our very best (or worst).

Directed by Prey‘s Dan Trachtenberg, Killer of Killers is surprisingly effective in its storytelling. Despite feeling a bit segmented with its collection of warriors, every self-contained story features compelling characters and relationships. After the success of Prey, each ‘episode’ takes us into a different era with a different purpose. Whether it’s feudal Japan, viking-era Scandanavia or the skies of WWII, Tractenberg manages to drop the viewer into the middle of the conflict while increasingly building the film’s stakes. Each individual story matters and each culture is presented in a different way.

A scene still from 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Similar to Prey, Trachtenberg uses culture to add subtext to the story that we all know too well. Whereas the original featured the simple ‘marines vs. an alien killer’ story, each different era add different flavours to the storytelling. For example, while placing the drama in feudal Japan creates a sense of honour amidst its warriors, the WWII atmosphere feels genuinely heroic. (What’s more, the ensuing dogfight is intense enough to make Tom Cruise jealous.)

In this way, the film’s visuals are nothing short of stunning. Giving the film a watercolor effect, the film makes its stories feel almost like animated paintings. At the same time, character movements remain crisp and smooth, creating engaging interactions. Everything about its presentation works, allowing the viewer to enjoy the artistry while focusing on the characters and their journeys.

A scene still from 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

As expected, the film makes good use of its R-rating. Viciously violent, Killer of Killers is as brutal as the name implies, going for the jugular whenever possible. Just like the rest of the franchise, severed limbs and bloody beheadings mark these animated battles. (And yet, somehow, the film’s stunning animation makes the murderous mayhem feel almost artistic.) However, by holding the brutality of each timeline up against one another, the Predator franchise also seems to be making a greater point.

Violence is timeless.

A scene still from 20th Century Studios’ PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS, exclusively on Hulu. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios. © 2025 20th Century Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Whether it stems from duty or merely survival, Killer of Killers reminds us that every generation of humanity has its hunters. There’s a ruthlessness to humanity that’s exposed within the film as each era is as violent as the last. Yes, there’s a sense that war is necessary at times (take that as you will). Even so, what’s comes across here is that, whether it’s on the battlefield in Norway or the seas of the Pacific, mankind can be as violent as its alien oppressors when it needs to be.

It’s this sort of discourse that makes the new Predator films feel relevant again. There’s a greater emphasis on subtext instead of (only) blood and gore. And, if Trachtenberg and his team can keep making this killers this compelling, I can’t wait for more murderous mayhem.

Predator: Killer of Killers is available on Disney+ on Friday, June 6^th, 2025.