Streaming Standard: Predator- Killer of Killers (2025)

 Were you Prey-ing for more?

As an amuse-bouche for the new Predator: Badlands, here's an Animated Anthology Tale.

This is Predator: Killer of Killers...

I watched it after July 25th, but no SPOILERS.

The Film is a Trilogy of Stories introducing Characters, followed by a Fourth One paying it all off.

In the first Tale, we follow a Viking Queen and her tribe seeking revenge for her Father.

They, of course, are attacked by a big-ass Predator.

It is going to get (green) bloody!

In the 2nd Tale, a pair of Samurai Brothers come to blows when they are Adults.

Naturally, a sneaky-ass Predator shows up.

Which one will survive?

In the 3rd Tale, a young Hispanic guy wants to be a WWII Pilot, but is not allowed to.

When a Predator with a big jet attacks, he does his best to save his would-be comrades!

In the final Story, the Survivors are put up against each other to be declared the titular Killer of Killers.

They will then have to face the most Scott Steiner in bone armor-looking Predator you've ever seen!

What will happen?

To find out, stream it now.

Bloody good and fun animation.

A Predator Cartoon is a great idea and one that people thought we nearly got in the 90s (it was actually just an Animated Ad for Predator vs. Alien Toys).

I will say that this is a pretty different kind of Animation.  You may or may not like it.  That's fair.
I personally liked it and thought it worked well for the stylish violence on display.

Vikings vs. Predator
Samurai vs. Predator
A Ninja vs. A Predator

Do I really need to sell you on this?!?

If you're a new or old fan of the Predator Franchise, give this one a shot.  It may not be your favorite thing ever, but it has a Ninja Predator, so...

A Film that may not sell everyone due to the Animation style and format.  For me, it was a fun tease of what we might get soon.

Streaming Standard: Prey (2022)

 After the last Predator Film was divisive (to say the least) and the whole Fox/Disney deal went down, we finally got this Prequel.

Was it worth all of the drama?

Back in the early days of America, a young Comanche Woman seeks acceptance as a Hunter.

Yep, even in a Native American/Indigenous People Tribe, there's a Glass Ceiling (before there was even really glass!).

She tries to hunt with her Brother, but he's getting all of the attention/fame.

She's also aware of the arrival of something- which the Audience knows to be the Predator- but nobody will believe her.

Soon enough, the pesky Predator starts killing his way up the food chain, starting with small animals.

Eventually, he/it, of course, turns to Humans.

Can our Heroine rise to the occasion and defeat the Creature?
Can she prove herself to be 'a threat?'

Will you need to watch this in the Comanche Dub?

To find out, stream the Film now.

A fun, exciting Film that freshens things up quite a bit.  To be fair, I've always liked the Predator Films.  I don't think that they necessarily made a *bad* one yet.  Yes, there are certainly different quality levels though.

This one- as a Prequel- can do things with a nice, blank slate.  Yes, it will reference stuff from the previous Films- that's just what modern Sequels/Prequels do- but its not beholden to the previous Films.  Setting it in a Forest is a nice spin on previous Films, which used Jungles and Cities generally, as well.

Plenty of (CGI) Animals are in the mix too.  That Dog- which is not CGI- is a real standout.  If this was a non-streaming release, we'd get to see the Making Of to learn how they trained it.  Did they have to teach a new Dog to take Comanche Language Commands?  Did they find one used by actually Comanche People that just happened to train Dogs like that?  I need to know!

The Film gives its Lead- who's a real standout- a nice Arc.  She's not written so strongly that there's no challenge, nor is she written so weak that it seems like she shouldn't be able to win.  It's not always easy to write that balance.

Prey is a solid, entertaining Film that makes the Predator look badass, which is what we always like.  Now we just need him to fight Wolverine already.  He's already got the claws...well, on one side...

Action Fans will really enjoy this one, as fresh Actors and Locations liven this up.  Just don't watch it if you're a big fan of French Fur Trappers though.

Tubi Thursday: Robowar (1988)

 As a celebration for my weekly streaming, let's look at an infamous rip-off Film.  Will adding Reb Brown make anything better?

A group of men are sent out to clear an Island of hostiles.  At least, that's what they are told.

Their actual mission- take out a robotic killer.

If you need it done, you might as well bring in BAM aka Bad-Ass Motherf#@kers.

Speaking of BAM, who else could pull off this belly-top but Reb Brown?

Nobody- that's who!

The sort-of titular Robot has been taking out Soldiers during the credits.

Of course, most of them is just overexposed shots of explosions from Strike Commando (also with Reb Brown).

Sadly, this guy is more like the original Predator and not the final product.

Our Soldiers don't know what they are in for, but they will still kick lots of ass.

And yes, Reb will scream while firing a gun.  
It's in the Contract.

Can they stop this Robot killing, well, machine?

Will they follow Predator beat for beat?

I mean, obviously...but you should still see how this '80s Cult Classic plays out.

It's...kind of very dumb.

A dumb Film that sometimes tries to be more.  Robowar is a knock-off of Predator.  Let's be honest and direct now.  If you didn't have one, you wouldn't have the other.  Does that immediately make this Film bad?  No, but it certainly sets the bar nice and low for it.  Rip-offs like this can only be so good.  That said, you can have some fun with this one.  When it isn't padded with long Scenes of walking through the Jungle, you can laugh at the absurdity here.  The Leads are in a group called the Bad-Ass Motherf#@kers.  They love to do the 'yell and fire machine guns' bit. 

They rip-off Predator, but don't quite get why it works.  When Billy stays behind to fight the Predator and dies off-screen, it's dramatic.  When his Italian equivalent does the same, we see the Robot walk up with his gun and just shoot him.  I mean, yeah, why would you stand there with your knife when you see him walk up with his gun, moron?!?  Many of these guys go out like morons, like the last few victims who walk right up the creation (see above) and just get killed.  Silly people.  

Reb and the Writer (coming this fall to ABC) try to randomly milk some drama here as we awkwardly-learn who the Robot is partly-made of.  It's...too little too late.  If you like Predator, check this out.  

If you like dumb Action Films, check this out.  If you can't stand a blatant rip-off, look elsewhere like these guys did...

A pretty infamous rip-off that manages to be just silly enough to work.  It's dumb as rocks, so just bear that in mind.

Quick Reviews: The Predator (2018)

Like many people, I didn't see it in Theaters.  Was it worth a watch now that it is on basically every other format?  Let's see...

The Film has A TON of things to put in place during the 1st Act.  Try to keep up...

The titular Alien must show up during a crash and lose two pieces of gear to our Hero.  He's not happy.

Our Hero's Son- who's on the spectrum- must end up with said gear by way of happenstance.

Two notes: nice Garry Chalk Cameo and it's funny to see Jacob Tremblay graduate from BROTHER of super-genius kid in The Book of Henry to playing one here.

Next, our Hero has to end up with a bunch of mentally-unbalanced Soldiers who get taken to where the action is.

Finally, Olivia Munn must be in the Facility to study the creature...before more arrive.

As we transition to the 2nd Act, things go...poorly for the Humans.  I was rooting for you, us!

As bigger and badder Predators show up (SPOILED by every bit of marketing), can the day be saved?  To find out, watch the Film!

A fun and exciting Film, even if the Plot muddles things up quite a bit.  The Predator is a Film that really fights itself more than it should.  Maybe the whole Plot about the Predator dissension is more apt than it seems.  I'm not saying that these Plots should be one-note or 'too simple,' but this one has issues.  Who's the bad guy here?  Is it this Predator?  Is it the new one that shows up?  Is it the Government Stooge?  It shouldn't be hard to know who to root for in a Film like this.  Maybe tone it down just this one time, Shane.  That aside, I also have to note how much random set-up is involved here to get the Plot in motion- which I did above.  In the first Film, Soldiers on a mission run across a Predator killing folks.  In the second Film, it happens in Los Angeles.  In this Film, there are a dozen chess pieces that have to be moved *just right* for the Story.  With ALL OF THAT aside, I had a lot of fun with this Film.  The Action is good.  They don't cut stuff for PG-13.  They expand the Predator Mythos.  There's even some genuinely-good jokes too.  It's a fun ride if you can accept all of the complex plotting that isn't quite necessary.  In addition, you can see this poor guy meet the most painful death I can think of...

When it just stops to be a fun and interesting Action Film, The Predator works well.  It just can't do that for too many minutes at a time though.

Lost in Translation?: Predator 2

A good, but inferior Sequel still deserves a good Poster.

In this case, it is Predator 2.

Does it have Ahnuld?  No.
Does it still deserve a crazy Asian Poster?  Hell yeah.

Here it is...

Bright, loud and random!

This Poster has it all!

Where else can you find a giant Predator, explosions and Gary Busey?

Here's the original Version...

I didn't change much, but did I really need to?  Sometimes perfection just needs a quick touch-up.

Almost Heroes: Dillon and Billy (Predator)

The Silver Medal of Films.

In this Segment, we look at people who were *nearly* the Stars/Protagonists of their Films.  Somewhere between Leads and Poor Bastards of Cinema lie these people.

They aren't losers- they just didn't quite get it done.

In the inaugural Edition, let's look at Predator.  

Everyone remembers Dutch (and some guy who didn't have time to bleed), but what about Dillon and Billy?

Dillon is Dutch's buddy/black friend.

Billy is the big, scary Indian of the group.

Both of them have bad-ass moments, killing some Soldiers and facing the mysterious, alien threat.

 *****

Ultimately, they both die when they try to stop the creature, while Dutch gets the glory (short-term).

 ******

To put some salt in the wound, Billy even dies off-camera!

Are they really Heroes?  

Of course!

Are they Heroes of Predator though?  Sadly, no.  Arnold doesn't share the glory...unless it is with Hispanic Ladies.

Got any suggestions for Almost Heroes?  Shoot me a line!

Kevin Sorbo Week: Flesh Wounds (2011)

It's freaking Predator!  It stars Kevin Sorbo, Bokeem Woodbine and Heather Marie Marsden- from Lethal- and it's Predator.  

To be fair, it could also be ripping off Robowar...which was ripping off Predator.  Need to know more?  

Well, to see how badly you can do Predator, read on...

A group of scientists and soldiers are out in a lake.  They are attacked by Noob Saibot...I mean, the Predator.

Kevin Sorbo is on hand to...well, be on hand.  

If you like lack of trying, you're in luck!

Sorbo and his men go out into the Jungle on a secret operation.  

This jungle, by the way, is mere feet from a highway.  Nice location scouting, guys!

Our heroes proceed to shoot the crap out of some other guys, most of whom wear bandannas so that they can recycle actors.  

I think your brain is leaking, guy!

Sure, this movie has soldiers in 'the jungle' and they're shooting, but that doesn't make it Predator, right?  

Well, take a look here...

Are you ready for some real disappointment?  

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the monster on the poster/box-art and the one actually in the film...

In spite of the overwhelming odds, our heroes continue to fight! 

 It helps that they're just standing in front of a Green Screen too.

All of a sudden, the movie realizes that it's got about ten minutes left and just starts killing everyone off.  Here's my favorite one...

In an amazingly-bad anti-climax, Sorbo finds the shack- yes, shack- where the cyborg/predator/thing has been hiding.  He takes it out with some C-4...which blows up in two separate blasts.  

That's...pretty much it.  The End.

Even Reb Brown would be ashamed of you.  

Do you like Predator? 

 Do you wish that it was made for a budget of less than a million dollars (if I'm wrong, I'll be shocked!)? 

 Do you wish that nobody in it seemed to care?  

Do you wish that nobody in it was all that good? 

 Do you wish that the Predator was actually a reject from Cyborg Cop II? 

 Do you want to see Kevin Sorbo's paid vacation to New Orleans?  

Do you want to see Marsden actually do a slightly-capable job?  

Do you want to see Bokeem Woodbine be the best actor in a film? 

 Do you want to see a movie so bad that you can't help but laugh?  

If you answered 'yes' to any of the 800 questions, you will like this movie.  Not for any good reason, but for all of the bad ones.  I know, Heather, I'm surprised too...

Up next, I switch focus to Danny Trejo aka Machete.  First up, it's The Ring...with Danny Trejo, Ja Rule and Michael Pare.  Stay tuned...

Instant Rare Flix Trash: Predator- The Quietus

Have I discovered a lost film?  Is this movie a miraculous film that has been unearthed from a vault.  Yeah, that's a 'no.'  

Made in 1988, this film was initially known as Moonstalker.  As The Falling taught us though, there is money to be made from sounding like another film.  

In fairness, Predator is kind of a generic name that could be attached to anything, be it an animal, a serial killer or a robot.  

However, this film was released in 1988, a year after Predator, so I won't pretend that it's a coincidence.  

So what is this movie about?  Well, a beast in loose in the woods of Ireland.  Naturally, this leads to an American reporter being sent out with a hunter to investigate.  No cops, huh?  Let's just jump right into this, shall we?  

Get out your useless knife for my review of...

The film begins with a couple leaving their car to go make-out in the woods by a tree.  Why?  Because the girl believes some legend about the tree being good luck or something.  I don't know- I don't write this shit.  They get killed by an unseen monster, leading to the title. 

 The movie then proceeds to spend somewhere between 3 and 5 minutes of B-Roll of New York City.  They show everything, even the 'you know what' (since this was made in 1988).  They also show some drug dealers (clearly UK actors) making a deal.  After that, we cut to an office where a woman is told that she's being sent to Ireland to cover the story.  Yeah, this is the last you see of NYC.  

That makes the four minutes or so of B-Roll- entirely pointless!  

In Ireland, she meets up with the hunter who will lead the trip.  Basically, he's the UK version of Tim Thomerson.  They don't get along, so this is nice and awkward.  We get one scene of the boss- who went with her for some reason- and her meeting up with the guy in the mid-afternoon.  

The only thing to note: they're both drinking.  Cut back, guys!  

They also thrown in a song from a woman in the bar, but you can just fast-forward past it like I did.  Immediately following this scene, the boss explains that he has to go back home because he 'got an important call.'  No, really.  

Off to the woods then...

If you thought that this movie was slow and pointless before, you haven't seen anything yet!  They talk to people in town, go to a bar and just generally don't get along.  The action is thrilling- mind-numbingly thrilling.  

We also get a pair of sub-plots to pad out the run-time.  First, there's a weird guy walking around the woods and narrating to himself.  Eventually, he stumbles across a couple having sex in the woods...and they leave.  Thanks for the fake-out, movie.  

In the other sub-plot, a pair of 'wacky' guys look for the monster in the woods after hearing about the reward.  As if to trick me, the movie throws in a fight scene.  Basically, the woman runs into a gang of ruffians who decide at random to rape her.  Thankfully, the hunter shows up to give them the old 'hi-f@#%ing ya!'  

With that out of the way, more talking and shots of the woods.  Our heroes meet up with the crazy man in the woods, at least bringing some validity to this plot.  He explains that he knows about the monster and that it doesn't match any creature he knows.  Him and the hunter go out looking for the monster, since the guy said that the girl would be safe in his house.  

Yeah, the monster attacks the house (not that you can see much) moments later.

Ready for the ultimate disappointment?  The monster takes his sweet time showing up on-screen.  

After over seventy minutes, the thing can finally be seen (albeit still bathed in shadows).  

If you made it this far, you waited to see this...

This movie sucks!  After twenty years or so in mothballs, it was not worth it.  The plot is so stock that it appears to be a Mad Lib job.  A _____ goes to the _____ with a _____ to find a ______.  The pacing and lack of budget are what kills this movie.  Nothing happens for most of the movie and, when it finally does, it's nothing much to speak of.  

Like Psycho Santa, the movie is shot in realistic darkness.  Of course, that movie appears to be done that way because they apparently couldn't afford lighting and/or didn't have a license to shoot on the streets of NYC.  This film just does it to be cheap- nothing more.  You don't want to show gore and/or your monster- don't light the scene very well.  

You should just be up front like the guys behind Rawhead Rex and not hide the fact that your monster appears to the prototype for the kangaroo men from Tank Girl.  

The best comparison for this movie is (oddly enough) Silent Rage.  That film has a premise that's basically 'Chuck Norris vs. Jason Vorhees.'  That movie is boring as hell, so they work in a random fight scene between Norris and some bikers.  It has no impact on the plot, but it at least keeps you awake.  That movie is still widely-available though, so take that for what you will.  

Stick to the original Predator or it's sequels.  At least you get this guy...

I wish.

Up next, we see yet another lost movie- this time a slasher film.  Given the genre, I'm sure that it will be awesome.  Stay tuned...