Skip to main content

Predator: Killer of Killers | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

 


So Disney, are we ready to hand the whole Predator franchise over to Dan Trachenberg, or what? His surprise hit prequel “Prey” got audiences imagining what a Predator movie might look like set against other historical backdrops around the world. Killer of Killers answers that question in stylized, ultra violent animated glory with an anthology that fans are going to absolutely love. 

Upon first glance, the animation style resembles a cell shaded video game. After taking a few moments to get used to it (much like last year’s “Flow”), I was in awe of just how stunning the visuals and art direction are. Set during three different time periods, in different continents across the globe, each story brings a distinct look and feel to this collection. The colours are striking, from frozen Scandinavian shores to crisp autumn forests in Edo era Japan - it’s all so beautiful. The framing and fluidity of the action is also exceptional, highlighting the different combat styles of each culture during their respective time period. This is hands down some of the best and most creative action in the entire franchise. 


Each segment runs approximately 20-25 minutes, and surprisingly none of them feel rushed or underbaked. They each follow a fairly straightforward plot, but the flow and pacing feels perfect. While I can’t help but imagine each one as its own feature length addition to the franchise, this is a more than satisfying depiction of the “what if” style scenarios fans have been dreaming up since the release of Prey. Despite being set centuries apart, the three stories do tie together in an exciting way I won’t spoil here. It feels like a tease of the franchise’s future, and if the intention was to build hype for the upcoming “Predator: Badlands”, I’d consider this a rousing success. 


Predator: Killer of Killers is everything a Predator fan could want. While the short length of each chapter may leave some thirsty for more story and bloodshed, this anthology is an impressive collection of bite-sized Predator action. It builds on the established lore, while paving an exciting future for the franchise’s future. 


4/5 


Review by: Benjamin Garrett


Popular posts from this blog

The Mandalorian Season 3 Review

  Listen, I love Star Wars. I will always love Star Wars.  The  original and prequel trilogies were a big part of my childhood, and helped shape my love of cinema. While  The   Mandalorian  isn’t among my favourites in  the  franchise, I thought it had a promising first season and a significantly stronger season two. Season three had so much potential, but a frustrating lack of focus held it back from greatness.  This show’s always had a bit of an identity crisis, but it’s never been as clear as it is here. Does it want to be a procedural-style adventure of  the  week, or tell an epic, multi-season spanning arc? Season one leaned toward  the  former, while Season two found a satisfying balance of both. Season three tries to find that balance, but  the  overarching story it wants to tell is bigger than  the  few episodes allotted to do so. There are only 8 chapters, some barely over 30 min. That’s a fair...
Read more

Boss Level Film Review

       Boss Level is a new addition to the time loop genre, with a twist. Ex-special forces officer, Roy Pulver, played by Frank Grillo, relives the same day until he dies. Every day he is hunted by assassins and when killed, he wakes up back in his bed where he started, only to have to try and survive all over again. Roy has no idea why he is stuck in this infinite time loop but he must do what he can to survive, and the longer he survives, the more he uncovers about his particular situation.  Unlike most action films that take time to build up, this film gets right into it and offers tons of non-stop combat sequences that would satisfy any lover of action films. Its erratic flow makes for some fun action scenes which come out of nowhere since Roy can expect the assassins to attack at any moment. If you play video games often and have ever been stuck on a level for hours or even days, you know the feeling of having to repeat the same thing over and over again u...
Read more

Better Man | Review by: Benjamin Garrett

  What at first feels like a CGI gimmick allows Better Man to climb and swing it’s way beyond standard biopic conventions. This larger than life musical is worth a watch even if, like me, you needed to ask “Who the hell is Robbie Williams?”.  A pop icon in the UK who didn’t quite make a household name for himself in North America, Robbie Williams bares his life (the good the bad and the drug fueled ugly) in this dazzling account of his rise to fame. Musician biopics often focus too heavily on the creation of the artist’s work, and not enough on the actual artist. Better Man gives audiences a sobering portrait of the man behind the monkey, with his songs placed in pivotal life and career moments to move the narrative forward. This works especially well if you aren’t entirely familiar with Williams’ work, because you won’t find yourself waiting to hear specific needle drops. Instead they flow organically into the story, with gorgeously choreographed musical numbers.  And bo...
Read more