Director Dan Trachtenberg, the man who reinvigorated the Predator film series with 2022’s much lauded Disney+ original Prey, and is set to release his first theatrical Predator film later this year with Predator: Badlands, dips his toes into the anime world with another Disney+ original tale debuting this weekend, Predator: Killer of Killers. The anthology series shows us three separate tales of humans defeating Predators before said Predators parade the three victors out gladiator-style on their home world, forcing them to fight until only one remains. Heavy on action, gore, and carnage, the story is very thin on development and unfurls at a breakneck speed that probably made animation the only route to go with this grand vision.

The 3 tales, split into chapters titled Shield, Sword, and Bullet, take place at various times in human history, serving as an introduction to these characters.Thing is, the film only allotted around 20 minutes to achieve said introductions, character backstory and then the actual human vs Predator fight, making it feel a little cramped. Shield, by far the best of the three, features badass Viking female warrior Ursa (Lindsay LaVanchy) out to avenge her late father with her son Anders (Damien Haas) in tow, whom she tries to make a warrior out of in the process. Sword features the tale of two brothers (Louis Ozawa) in post-feudal Japan, both born and trained Samurai, but locked in a desperate fight for the power of the family. And Bullet takes us to the 1940s at the heart of the war and a grounded airman named Torres (Rick Gonzalaez) who takes flight in a rickety old plane as he realizes the threat to his squadron is more than they bargained for.

Light on story but high on visuals, Predator: Killer of Killers is an effective, if not rushed, entry in the Predator genre. It’s biggest addition to the canon may be the first good look at the Predators’ home world, even if in animated form. The final act may borrow heavily from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones‘ ending, but it works here. But one can help but wonder if this would have been better as a series of a couple of movies, as the script and final result do feel hurried.

And the Shield segment of this is something I’d take a full feature of its own, it’s so good, preferably with a badass, decked-out Hannah Waddingham as the live-action Ursa. It’s the ideal opener for the film, and even though it’s given approximately the same amount of time as the other two segments, it feels better paced and performed. The finale segment, where the three end up banding together, gets a little too predictable and feels far more drawn out and less engaging than the rest of the film, though the final few shots are stellar, and it ends on a bang.

Predator fans should eat this up, to be honest, though the pacing will be an issue for a lot of them. Predator: Killer of Killers does not skimp on the gore, though in any way, shape, or form, as we get beheadings, limb mangling, and numerous other acts of bloody violence that should keep the most hardcore of Predator fans more than satisfied. But please, can we get that live-action Shield version?