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Geek Tyrant
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
PREDATOR's Legendary Flintlock Pistol Returns in PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS — GeekTyrant
If there's one piece of Predator lore that's captivated fans, it's that weathered flintlock pistol. First seen in Predator 2 , later expanded on in Prey , and now, thanks to Predator: Killer of Killers , that same firearm officially cements its legacy as the franchise's most iconic Easter egg. Killer of Killers isn't your standard Predator story. This animated anthology spans centuries, following three human warriors that include the Viking leader Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy), Japanese ninja Kenji (Louis Ozawa), and WWII pilot Torres (Rick Gonzalez). They each encounter a Predator hunter in their respective eras, and their stories eventually converge in a twisted finale that drops them into a Yautja gladiator arena lightyears from Earth. Each warrior gets a weapon that reflects their origins: Ursa gets an axe, Kenji a katana, and Torres… a humble flintlock pistol. It turns out that it's the same one fans saw in Predator 2 , and later in Prey . While Torres barely has time to load the thing, let alone figure out how to load it, during the battle, its appearance ties Killer of Killers directly into decades of Predator mythology. in Predator 2 , Danny Glover's Mike Harrigan defeats a Predator on its own ship, only to be surrounded by others. Rather than attack, they honor him. One of the Elder Predators tosses him the flintlock pistol and says, 'Take it.' The inscription reads: "Raphael Adolini, 1715." Years later, Prey reintroduced the pistol, showing how it changed hands. The film follows Comanche warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder) as she battles the 'Feral Predator' and clashes with a band of French fur trappers. One of those trappers, English-speaking interpreter Raphael Adolini (Bennet Taylor), gives Naru the pistol after a brutal fight. She uses it as part of her final stand, offering a glimpse into how this weapon entered Yautja hands in the first place. But Killer of Killers pushes the timeline even further. In the film's final chapter, Torres is given the flintlock as his arena weapon. While it doesn't play a huge part in the action, its presence begs a big question… how did the Yautja get it, and why does it keep resurfacing? The movie gives us at least part of the answer. At the end of the movie, a cryogenically frozen Naru is revealed to be one of many human warriors in stasis implying that the Yautja abducted her sometime after the events of Prey, likely during the closing cave painting-style scene that hinted at more Predators arriving. The flintlock? Confiscated and recycled for future bloodsport. So how does it end up in Harrigan's hands years later? One possible theory, after Ursa sacrifices herself so Kenji and Torres can escape on a Predator ship, the pistol gets left behind. Perhaps another human wields it in a later arena match, one that ends badly. The Elder Predator who wins that fight might've claimed the pistol as a trophy… only to pass it on to Harrigan as a token of mutual respect. That's one potential thread. But given the elastic nature of Predator timelines and cryostasis, Killer of Killers could actually take place after the events of Predator 2 , pushing the entire continuity into more ambiguous, time-jumping territory. Whether the flintlock has traded hands between humans and Predators for decades or centuries, its reappearance in Killer of Killers is a connective thread that bridges eras, characters, and lore in a way that deepens the mythos while leaving the door wide open for more.
Gizmodo
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Let's Talk About the Ending of ‘Predator: Killer of Killers'
'Holy shit!' I screamed when the final image of Predator: Killer of Killers came onto the screen. After a movie that was already incredibly awesome and enticing, the film's final image adds a whole new dimension. One that we just had to talk to the filmmakers about. This, of course, will require us getting into major spoilers, so if you haven't seen the film, go watch it right here and come back after. It's seeded pretty early on that Ursa, the Viking warrior voiced by Lindsay LaVanchy; Kenji, the feudal ninja voiced by Louis Ozawa; and Torres, the World War II pilot voiced by Rick Gonzalez, who have all killed a Predator, have been subsequently captured and brought to an alien planet. And to answer your first question, no, this did not involve time travel. Each character is frozen in their time and then awoken when they are needed. 'That's why we specifically put in the line that Torres says 'I feel like I've been asleep forever,' to try to help because I know it certainly could be misconstrued,' director Dan Trachtenberg told io9. So they wake up, have to fight some Predator creatures, and each manages to escape in their own unique ways. For Torres and Kenji it's a literal escape, at least for now. Don't forget, they are on an alien planet, in a spaceship, and neither has been alive in an era where space travel has been a reality. So you can't imagine even if they get off the planet, they'd have any idea get back to Earth. Plus, last we saw them, they were again being hunted by probably hundreds of Predators, so we have to assume they are going to get caught at some point. As for Ursa, her sacrifice is the only thing that gives Torres and Kenji a fighting chance and, as a reward, she's once again put into that frozen stasis. A tactic which, it's revealed, the Predators have used a lot. Ursa is moved into an almost Raiders of the Lost Ark storage facility filled with pods. Pods as far as the eye can see. And, one of them, the last one we see, contains Naru, the star of the movie Prey played by Amber Midthunder. 'Holy shit!' This reveal, of course, raises so many questions, one of which we can answer definitively. 'I think now we can say people who defeat the Predator get captured and are frozen,' Trachtenberg told io9. Which indirectly implies that, yes, Mike Harrigan from Predator 2 might be there or even Dutch from Predator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. We don't see them, of course, but they, and seemingly thousands of other species that have beaten a Predator, were then captured. (Another link: Torres is also given the gun Harrigan had in Predator 2. One we also saw in Prey.) On a larger scale, this revelation gives us some fascinating insights into Predator culture. For one thing, they can be defeated and have been many times. And yet, they treat those defeats as lessons, taking the victors to their planet. But why? Do they all get to fight the Warlord Predator? Are they just there for entertainment? Are they studied? None of that is clear but, maybe, will become so in the future. On a more specific scale, the tease raises some questions about a potential Prey 2. Is a second movie starring Naru about how she is captured? Or was she captured after the events in the film, and any future stories will now take place in the future? Plus, when is that future, specifically? Naru's story, as well as Kenji's and Ursa's, all took place years before Torres'. So while this could all be happening in the 1940s on Earth, it could also be the 4040s or something. We don't know for sure. Nevertheless, reintroducing Naru was a decision that was made early on, and with great anticipation. 'It was thrilling,' co-director Josh Wassung said about the Naru reveal. 'We just knew it would be something that fans would get so excited for. And… Dan alluded to he just wanted to make sure the fans knew that he was still thinking about that character.' So what are your thoughts here? Are we gearing up for an Avengers: Endgame mega-crossover event? Can the Predators ever truly be defeated? And how does the fact that the next movie, Predator: Badlands, stars a Predator as the hero, change things? All very, very fun to think about.
UPI
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- UPI
Movie review: 'Predator: Killer of Killers' a visceral animated trio
1 of 5 | The animated "Predator: Killer of Killers," on Hulu Friday, features new Predators. Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios LOS ANGELES, June 5 (UPI) -- Predator: Killer of Killers, on Hulu Friday, is a worthy addition to the Predator franchise. The animated film takes advantage of the format to explore aspects only hinted at in the live-action movies. Killer of Killers is an anthology of three stories in different time periods. In 841, the Viking queen Ursa (voice of Lindsay LaVanchy) encounters a Predator during a battle against an enemy clan, while in 1629 Japan, two samurai brothers come across a Predator in a mostly dialogue-free segment. Later, in 1942, World War II mechanic John Torres (Rick Gonzalez) leads a dogfight against a Predator ship. Predator 2 seeded the idea that the Predators have been visiting Earth throughout human history, but it wasn't until 2022's Prey that the live-action franchise explored the past. While live-action period pieces would be welcome, a single period piece is cost-prohibitive, let alone three in one movie. The animation directed by Dan Trachtenberg, director of the live-action Prey and upcoming Predator: Badlands, feels like a legitimate Predator movie from the moment the score plays. The Predator's invisible ship ripples against the backdrop, and the creature turns on heat vision to stalk its prey. The Predator that Ursa faces is taller and more hulking than any of the human actors who wore the suit, even the late 7-foot-2 Kevin Peter Hall in the first two films. The Japanese brothers face a leaner Predator, and the WWII Predator, sitting in his cockpit, has interesting horns and scars. Details show the thought put into crafting an alien encounter, such as a leaf sticking to an invisible Predator or a spark from a fire rippling the Predator's invisible cloak. The humans prove as vicious as the Predators, committing graphic decapitations. The setup has always been that the Predators sought the most worthy warriors, hence elite soldiers in the original, Native American warriors in Prey and even the xenomorph in the Alien vs. Predator films. The dynamic action shows the steadiness of a long take is as effective in animation as live action, letting the viewer absorb extended, unedited combat. Recognizable and more obscure Easter eggs add connections to the rest of the Predator series. The three stories connect in surprising ways that make it more than just an anthology. Still, Killer of Killers would already be cool as a collection of Predator minisodes. Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
Geek Tyrant
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
First Reactions Drop for PREDATOR: KILLER OF KILLERS and It Sounds Like a Winner! — GeekTyrant
There was recently an early screening of director Dan Trachtenberg's new animated Predator anthology series Predator: Killer of Killers , and those who attended loved what it delivered! The animated series was described as 'Compelling,' 'Violent,' 'Full of vicious kills,' 'Badass incarnate,' and it's said to be 'made by Predator fans for Predator fans.' I can't wait to see the series for myself! I'm excited about this thing! Predator: Killer of Killers is a three-part anthology that puts the focus in Yautja warriors hunting human prey across world history. The anthology story follows 'three of the fiercest warriors in human history: a Viking raider guiding her young son on a bloody quest for revenge, a ninja in feudal Japan who turns against his Samurai brother in a brutal battle for succession, and a WWII 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.' The voice cast includes Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, and Michael Biehn. Trachtenberg co-directed this project alongside Josh Wassung while on location for Predator: Badlands . He said: 'We were writing the script for [ Killer of Killers ] while we were prevising stuff on [ Badlands ], and then [once on location] in New Zealand, on the way to shoot [ Badlands ], we would remote with everyone back here and [watch footage] thanks to Starlink.' It's set to premiere as a Hulu exclusive on June 6th, 2025. Check out the reactions below!
