Now imagine Blue Samurai, but Scifi - Predator: Killer of Killers - Casual Review

August 14, 2025

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Preface:

This is yet another script I wrote a while back, I was eagar to review Predator: Killer of Killers, but I had to scrap it for a slew of factors that escaped me. Nonetheless, this is a continuation of documenting old projects I wish to show to ya'll. My thoughts have also changed a little, so future thoughts will be (written like this). Enjoy!

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*Intro

Hello guys, my name is Andre, otherwise known as Dezaos, and welcome to today's episode. I had the opportunity to watch Predator: Killer of Killers, and I have to say, I actually really liked it. I do have to admit that I am not 100% up to date with the lore of the Predator saga, with limited knowledge, having watched the original movie. I also watched both Predator vs. Aliens films and played one of the games based on the comics, understanding its ties to Aliens in general. Now, imagine the violence and similar animation style as seen in The Blue Samurai; this was all seen throughout the movie, more prevenant in The Shield and the Final Act of the film. If you are looking for lore commentary, I do apologize to disappoint. Today's review covers assorted observations on the film as well as a few nitpicks here and there. If you haven't watched it yet, please watch it for yourself before watching this video.

"Hey, when are the Jurassic Park videos coming out?”

"Exuse me?"

"What did I say about mentioning something I am struggling to cover?”

"No”

"Slapping sounds”

(I originally was going to make a Jurassic Park novel reaction video. I had read iterations one and two, but had struggles writing out what I thought. It was supposed to be a tease for Rebirth, safe to say my thoughts on that film... weren't that good. )

Part 1: The Shield

The Shield follows the Norse warrior named Ursa as she seeks revenge on the man who killed her father when she was younger. She raises her son, Ander, on the lesson of avenging a loved one. There's a really cool tracking shot during one of the fight scenes prior to the reveal of the Predator of that story that really captures the drive and focus Ursa has throughout her vengeance. On the topic of pacing, I thought her story was driven nicely as it transitioned from a period film to a predator film. One thing that I appreciated about this film was that the Predator didn't steal the spotlight from our protagonists, but rather enhanced their characters' development through their personal stories.

Although I didn't feel much for Ander's death, I did value what it showed for a later scene in the film that I will touch on later in this episode. One final thing I want to mention is that the uniqueness of this film goes to show solutions to its problems. What do I mean by that? To save her son trapped under a pillar, she directs the Predator's attention back to her, leading to her whole moveset during the final fight of the section really showing her true ingenuity. I mean, the air pocket in the river? Or how about using the ice to slide and the anchor to drown the Predator? “I’m still geeking about it!”

Part 2: The Sword

The Sword can be seen as a tragedy as it follows two brothers in 1609 Japan. The two are pitted against each other to inherit their father’s warlord title. During their skirmish, one of them runs away. After the timeskip, the two brothers engage in a fight that spans a good duration of the segment, eventually leading to the brother who stayed with their father falling to his death. Once the Predator comes in, the remaining brother fights him.

Something that caught my attention was how much the phrase "show, don't tell” is elaborated in this segment. Rather than have dialogue with the father or sons, we, the audience, can see that one of the brothers doesn't want to fight, despite the disapproval of the father. After the reveal that the brother survived his fall, it is paralleled when an unspoken peace falls between the brothers to defeat the Predator. It's only at the end of the segment that we get an actual dialogue between the two brothers, making peace before one of the brothers dies.

The final thing I want to mention is the amount of fight choreography that was poured into this segment. As mentioned before, here is what I mean:

Show fight scenes with reactions

Part 3: The Bullet

The Bullet… honestly, wasn't too fond of this one. I'll be honest, while I did enjoy some elements such as the heat seeking snares issue, it’s good voice casting, and the setting of a World War II-based segment, I kinda just went through with this one till it ended. I will say this: I liked that he somewhat remained the same, but grew a little bit to fix things by the end of the film. Essentially, he resembles someone who is still learning to fix problems, but still stumbles once in a while, relatable even.

Part 4: The Final Act

The final act had every story connect, as all three were captured by the Predators. One of the things that gave me a good chuckle was the challenge of communicating between Ursa, Torres, and Kenji (yes, I had to search for his name when writing this), as all of them understood differently what the others reacted to. As it turns out, this segment was packed with easter eggs I learned through TikTok’s coverage of the film. I think that this segment developed Torres a little better as a character, despite being severely misplaced between Kenji and Ursa. The movie even points this out when the weapons of choice were given out, making fun of Torres being given a Flintlock Pistol…

Pause the film.

Ok, so I did more research, and I had no idea that this gun was a reference to the second movie and to Prey. I recognised it for the point earlier, but I did catch the reference when I saw the girl from Prey was in stasis as well. The gun, also being a gun from another character from Prey, wasn't known to me at the time… Ok, resume

Being a gun from the wrong century. I will admit, though, his character steps up by connecting Kenji and Ursa to work together, and by the end, he reminds Ursa of Anders, leading to her sacrifice at the end, so they could escape the planet. Her line in the scene, as well, was such a slap too, as she is basically telling the Predators to eat dirt.

(A few months after watching this movie, funny enough, I did watch Prey, and the gun makes a lot more sense. The same goes for Naru's appearance at the end of the film.)

After all and all

Overall, I enjoyed the movie a lot due to the stories it had; I thought the Brothers' story was great, The Shield was smart, and the final act was amazing. I actually recalled a little from the battle at the end to be in a location similar to a map from Alien vs. Predator, too. But all in all, I do understand that I should rewatch the older Predator movies to understand the deeper tie-ins to the story this film ties into. If you enjoyed this episode, please like and subscribe. Tell me in the comments what you liked about the film, where this video was misleading, or where I could think differently, too! Anyways, my name is Andre, otherwise known as Dezaos, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!