This year, 20th Century Studios is giving us two helpings of the iconic sci-fi franchise, “Predator”, with an all-new live-action film called “Predator: Badlands”, which hits cinemas in November and an original animated film, called “Predator: Killer Of Killers” this summer, that’s being released exclusively on Hulu and Disney+.

This anthology story follows three of the fiercest warriors in human history, “Shield” is about a Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, “Sword” follows a ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, and in “Bullet”, a World War Two pilot who takes to the sky to investigate an otherworldly threat to the Allied cause.  But while all these warriors are killers in their own right, they are merely prey for their new opponent – the ultimate killer of killers.

Within a few minutes, viewers will get a rude awakening that this isn’t for kids, as “Shield” has a brutal opening story involving some Viking Raiders going all out for revenge in a bloody battle that features one of the best fights with a Predator.   The mother is vicious, and that protective nature for her son becomes vital to the overall story of the film.  Each story does try to give a little backstory to each of the three main characters, to help you understand where they are coming from, but more importantly, why they are willing to kill if needed.

“Sword” was my favourite story out of the three, though this one felt like it could have been a video game (I do think that because I’m playing “Assassins Creed: Shadows” at the moment, it all felt very similar in terms of theming).   The battle between the two brothers was fun to watch, and the addition of a Predator made it even better, as this hunter was very different from the one we get to see in “Shield”.

In the third story, called, “Bullet”, things take a drastic shift, as it takes place during World War Two and is the only story of the three that is spoken in English, as the other two stories are in Japanese and Old Norse, so that instantly makes it much easier to connect with this character, which is essential for the fourth act of the film.  

“Predator: Killer Of Killers” is the first animated film in the franchise, and it uses the freedom animation gives creators to deliver something that I honestly don’t think would be made in live-action, as with animation, they can do things on a much grander scale.  While on first glance it feels like three single short stories slapped together into a film, which could have been released as a series, but the fourth act, when the three killers are brought together to face off with the alpha Predator leader, is when things get even more interesting.   

The animation style of this movie took me a little while to get accustomed to; it was a little jarring at first, as it reminded me more of the art style from a video game than a film.  Games typically try to cut corners with their video scenes, as they are often just a plot device to move the game forward and aren’t as important. However, within a few minutes, I got used to the animation style being used.

Hopefully, enough people watch the film to encourage Disney to do more projects like this in the future, as animation is a great way of adding lore and additional stories within larger franchises.  We’ve seen “Star Wars” do this fantastically with its animated shows.

This film feels like a product of an era when Disney was investing heavily in streaming projects. However, I can’t help but feel that if “Predator: Badlands” performs well at the box office later this year, they’ll likely double down on that approach, as it generates more revenue.

Overall: I really enjoyed “Predator: Killer Of Killers”, the use of animation allows the storytellers much more freedom to expand the scope and put them in locations that just wouldn’t be doable in the real world due to cost restrictions.   It’s not going to be for everyone, the art style and three-story style might put some traditional “Predator” fans off, but as I said, the medium of animation really provides us with something unique, that previously would have only been seen in video games or comic books.

Rating: 4 Out Of 5

“Predator: Killer Of Killers” is coming out on Friday, 6th June 2025, on Hulu and Hulu On Disney+ in the United States and on Disney+ around the world.

Are you looking forward to watching “Predator: Killer Of Killers”? Let me know on social media!

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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