Vikings
were mean and unruly. Samurai were the greatest swordsmen. And nobody could outfly
U.S. Naval aviators. Unfortunately, the Predators aliens believe that to be the
best, they must hunt the best. That means they will stalk all the
aforementioned throughout human history in Dan Trachtenberg’s animated
anthology, Predator: Killer of Killers, “co-directed” by Joshua Wassung,
which premieres today on Hulu.
As
viewers know from Trachtenberg’s Prey, Predators have been coming to Earth
for a long time. They have an advantage in each of the Earthbound historical
stories, because the Vikings, Samurai, and WWII fighter pilots are busy
fighting each other, while the Predators watch and wait.
Arguably,
the opening Samurai story is the weakest of the three, but the brutality of
Ursa’s combat, both against her Viking enemies and the Predator, are impressive
by any standard. Lindsay LaVanchy also sounds appropriately fierce as the
Viking clan leader. Nevertheless, this somewhat revisits the themes and beats
of Prey.
Visually,
the Samurai story might be the most dynamic. Trachtenberg and Wassung also
create some incredible animated martial arts and swordplay. The battle between
brothers turned sworn-rivals resonates on archetypal level. Yet, the way they
combine forces against the Predator holds great importance later. Although
Louis Ozawa is credited as both samurai voices, this is a quiet, largely
non-verbal segment, which suits its stealthy ninja vibe and elegant Jidaigeki
setting.
You'd think by now, the Predator planet would have issued a travel advisory
for planet Earth. As our moralizing commentators keep telling us, we are a
violent people. We have a tendency to give the galactic hunters quite a fight.
Maybe that is part of the appeal for them. It’s a challenge, like climbing
Everest. Even 300 years ago, a Predator will have his hands full dealing with a
teenaged warrior of the Comanche Nation in Dan Trachtenberg’s Prey,
which premieres today on Hulu.
Naru
picks up on signs something is wrong in the woods, but her brother Taabe and
the other young warriors are not paying attention, because she is a girl. At
least Taabe respects her tracking skills, but he doubts her killer instinct. Nevertheless,
she senses a threat and sets out to hunt it. Unfortunately, it is not the only
danger out there. A party of cruel and wasteful French fur trappers is also on
the prowl. Obviously, Trachtenberg and screenwriter Patrick Aison are
suggesting the Predator is more sporting about it, which is probably a fair
point.
Of
course, the rest of the warriors are ineffective and the French are even worse
than the Predator, but Naru can rely on her brother and her trusty dog, Sarii.
In fact, Sarii, played by an American Dingo named Coco, is the true star of the
film. Yes, even in R-rated science fiction action movies, W.C. Fields’ warning
holds true.
Frankly,
the Predator franchise has had a whole lot of ups and downs. Some of the
Alien vs. Predators films even suggested the Predators weren’t all that bad,
because they acted as a check on the Xenomorphs. Prey doesn’t seem to
see it that way. Regardless, Trachtenberg and Aison earn credit for taking a fresh
approach to a mature property. The setting is interesting and the Eighteenth-Century
level of weaponry (at best) adds a considerable degree of difficulty for the titular
prey.
