Badlands Has The Most Emotional And Brutal Opening Scene In The Franchise’s History

Contains spoilers for “Predator: Badlands”

Dan Trachtenberg’s “Predator: Badlands” opens with a battle between the film’s Yautja protagonist, Dek, and his older brother, Kwei. The latter is more experienced, but Dek is feisty, refusing to give up even when beaten. This is a test, though, as Dek prepares for his first hunt. The brothers head back to Kwei’s ship where they discuss that failure means death. Dek is determined to prove himself and picks the deadly Kalisk from the lethal planet Genna as his target. His reasoning? If he’s seen as the weakest among his clan, he wants to take down the most dangerous creature.

Dek and Kwei’s father Njohrr arrives, chastising Kwei for not killing Dek, whom he dubs a runt and a weakling. Njohrr then traps Dek, encouraging Kwei to kill his brother. Just as it appears as though Kwei is about to finish Dek, Kwei instead uses his sword to free his little brother from his restraints and sets off a grappling hook to send him back into the ship. Kwei starts to activate his wrist computer to send Dek away, but his father intervenes and the pair duel. Njohrr brutalizes and decimates Kwei in front of Dek. With his last breath, Kwei is able to activate the ship’s controls.

It’s a heartbreaking and extremely violent opening, as a powerless Dek is forced to watch Kwei die at the hands of their callous father. This adds another emotional layer to the latest “Predator” movie, as Dek is no longer trying to just prove himself — the mission is to honor Kwei, too.

Read more: The Most Shocking Movie Endings

Dek gets his revenge in Predator: Badlands

A major part of Dek’s journey in “Predator: Badlands” involves him coming to terms with the fact that he’s good enough as he is and doesn’t need to prove anything to his Yautja clan. He ultimately forms his own clan with the synthetic Thia (Elle Fanning) and the young Kalisk Bud. When Dek returns to Yautja Prime, he brings the head of Thia’s fellow synthetic Tessa (also Elle Fanning) as evidence of his kill from Genna. However, Njohrr scolds his son for not killing the Kalisk, mocking him for being a failure and instructing his guards to finish Dek. This is a different Dek, though; a more seasoned and experienced fighter from his time on Genna.

Dek makes quick work of the guards then faces off against his father, using everything he’s learned to avoid his traps. Dek brutalizes Njohrr, who finally recognizes that Dek isn’t as weak as he thought. After what happened to Kwei and his own mistreatment, Dek doesn’t seek nor want his father’s approval anymore, so he kills the elder Yautja. While it appears as if Dek’s story is now complete, there’s another twist in the tale as a new ship arrives in the distance: When asked who it is, Dek reveals that it’s his mother, which should add yet another interesting twist to the ever-growing “Predator” story.

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Read the original article on Looper.