User reviews

Badland Hunters combines a lot of familiar elements for a post apocalyptic adventure that pushes through any narrative issues with its brutal action and the fact that this is a surprisingly funny film. Despite all the mutant soldiers, gangs and a mad scientist, this is one of the most civilised wastelands put to screen and there's a lot of charm in that.

Ma Dong-seok is obviously very believable with his natural physicality and he has a subtle leading man charm. The best part of his performance is how he's never phased by any of the evil plans he uncovers or the unkillable antagonists he comes up against but a set of stairs knocks the wind out of him and the woman who's constantly flirting with him truly baffles him.

As a stuntman turned director, Heo Myeong-haeng offers further proof that former stuntmen are the best at shooting action sequences. Whilst some of the fights can be too hyper active, for the most part that kind of camera work really works here, accentuating the movements of the performers in a way that enhances every blow. Especially any punch from Ma Dong-seok himself.

The latest SK actioner or the latest Don Lee trademark, that was the question beforehand. The good news: both. When he dominates the screen, the place rocks, as usual. But that's where the euphoria ends. "When he dominates the screen" is unfortunately not in the usual or desired rhythm. The post-apocalypse is, of course, based on pure CGI in the latest fast-paced filming, obviously. The story is rather hare-brained, nothing new, no aha effect. A half-baked mix of end times, dystopia, action, mad scientist, zombie horror, mutant horror and comedy elements. Half of the actors indulge in overacting. After all, such a crude mixture has a way of not being boring. And the gorehounds are also treated to a few brutal gore, especially in the finale. All in all, a can, not a must.

The genre and style of this movie differs so much from Concrete Utopia, it should not be considered a sequel as much as a spin off. As such it should be evaluate on it's own rather than a comparison to Concrete Utopia.

While the predecessor was more of a allegory of understand humanity, this film is straight out an action thriller. For that it is pretty entertaining and will give you a night of fun with your friends.

The positive notes are the well choreographed fights, which are both fast yet clear. I especially like the incorporation of various techniques including boxing, martial arts, and wrestling. The gun fights scenes were very John Wickesque, with fast reaction, gun changing hands, load and reload.

The weak point is the plot, which is generic and cliche. However, that is expected in action films, the real issue is the creative elements which seems at time to be slow and confusing.

With a runtime of 1 hr and 48 mins, this film can easily be trimmed of 20 minutes for a smoother ride. Some fight scenes were a bit too extended that they become repetitive and some story elements were not necessary in complexity and can be eliminated.

Overall a 6 or 7. But I'll put 7 for the attempted effort in creativity of the plot device, which I will not state as a spoiler.

Badland Hunters: A South Korean dystopian action film which is a sequel to the 2023 film Concrete Utopia , I missed Concrete Utopia and wasn't aware of it's existence until after I watched Badland Hunters. Maybe I would have gotten more context if I seen the originak film first but Hunters is entertaining. World destroyed by mega-earthquakes. Mad Max style settlements plagurd by bandits, a mighty hunter who fights them off. There's also a mad scientist who carries out weird experiments on humans and has an army od super soldiers. We also get to see fast moving quasi-zombies. There's a quest and battles, some good hand to hand fighting and dastardly decapitations. Not to be taken too seriously but it's a goodish SF B movie with a line of humour running through it. Directed by Heo Myung, Screenplay by Kim Bo-tong & Kwak Jae-min. On Netflix. 6.5/10.

Really fun, even though nothing new!

At first, i did not get really excited because it is a Netflix work, and most of their work are really bad last period of time. But, i have seen parents guide and i found it is clear from nudity, which is something really rare these days.

It was somehow fun, i enjoyed it.

What makes this movie fun?

Well, there are multiple things i really liked. First, the good acting. Second, the exciting action scenes. Third, not that bad plot, and unfortunately it could be better.

And Finally, it was clear without any filler or useless scenes, and i did not fell the time pass.

What are it cons?

The same theme of the korean movies, i did not find anything new in the plot. The CGI and effects was not that so good, but acceptable. That all i guess.

Ma Dong-Seok is one of the coolest dudes in Korean cinema. I do think the film is a little disappointing as the post-apocalyptic setting isn't used in an exciting way. The plot is also nothing special. It is incredibly dumb and predictable while also having minimal explanation about anything. The characters are also very bland. There is barely any exploration of any of the characters including the main character. Due to this, they all come off as one-dimensional and this makes it very difficult to care about anyone.

However, it has some incredibly well-choreographed and fun action sequences. Who doesn't want to see Ma Dong-seok kick ass!

Movie is watchable, and entertaining.

Lead actor Dong Seok screen presence is entraining. His comedy timings worked.

And the villain character played the mad scientist could be better. Story had potential but not upto the mark. But the movie is watchable.

Low production values .

Poof special effects. But are tolerable.

Finally can give it a shot.

Movie is watchable, and entertaining.

Lead actor Dong Seok screen presence is entraining. His comedy timings worked.

And the villain character played the mad scientist could be better. Story had potential but not upto the mark. But the movie is watchable.

Low production values .

Poof special effects. But are tolerable.

Finally can give it a shot.

Ma Dong-Seok is one of my favorite action stars, almost on par with Jason Statham in my books in terms of entertainment value. His work is usually very enjoyable (the badass punches in Round-up 2, some of the best I've ever seen) action + humor, like almost nobody else.

I was really looking fwd to Badland Hunters, but this turned out to be a let down. The plot is these action movies isn't usually anything new but this had a bunch of stuff going on that didn't add any value...? Action for the sake of it....tsk.

That said, others seem to like it, for a mix of all sorts of action. If you have nothing else to watch, maaaybe check it out? I'd much rather rewatch some of his older content.

When it comes to netflix produced movies, the quality of the movies often reach to lower than the movies released in the theaters just like those straight-to-DVD movies. Of course there are few exceptions, but because of the long list of the sub par movies that Netflix produced, I tend to lower my expectation, and that seems to work out well when I watch netflix movies such as Rebel Moon and this movie, Badland Hunters. It was nice to see something new and different in both movies. The action scenes in both movie are also superb that are worth watching again. However, I would give just a little bit more points on Badland Hunters since it has shorter running time, but has longer action time. It's slightly more than 90 minutes, but it has a lot more actions. It's a cheesy and gory action flick that delivered what it was promising. What else do you expect? Life changing experience? Epiphany? Watch for the actions especially last 30 minutes. You won't be disappointed.

Badland Hunters' is the 100th Korean movie I've seen. I can't express enough how impressed I am with Korean cinema. While the premise for 'Badland Hunters' might not be the most original, the execution thereof certainly is.

'Badland Hunters' is a post-apocalyptic film set three years after a devastating earthquake destroyed most of Earth. The survivors set up colonies, and they battle to survive the new world. To make matters worse, it hasn't rained for months and water is scarce.

Nam San (Ma Dong-seok) and Choi Ji-wan (Lee Joon-young) are hunters who trade meat for items they find useful. Choi Ji-wan is secretly in love with Han Su-na (No Jeong-ee). One day, a group of people arrive claiming they have a safe zone in Seoul - an apartment building that survived the earthquake, and is protected by a military force. They prioritize families with children under 20, because children are the future of humanity.

From the beginning I questioned their good intentions. We then follow a group of people traveling to the safe zone and soon discover all is not what it seems. Soon after arriving at the apartment compound, Han Su-na becomes suspicious of the water they are given, and the activities of those with authority, especially Dr. Yang Gi-su, who runs the facility. Now, it is up to Nam San and Choi Ji-wan to save them. Along the way the team up with special ops air force sergeant Lee Eon-ho (Ahn Ji-hye).

What follows, is non-stop action and entertainment. 'Badland Hunters' just gets better and better as the story develops, with incredible action sequences. As the body count increases, the film gets violent and bloody, so prepare yourself! (Unlike the John Wick films, the violence is justified here, as it is the only way to kill the 'monsters'.) There are even moments that fondly made me reminisce 'V', the TV series from the 80s. The film was actually also disturbing on many levels - morality being one of them.

'Badland Hunters' offers plenty of action and suspense and fantastic fight choreography. This is an insanely entertaining film! Ma Dong-seok once again delivers a fantastic performance as the protagonist. He is such a likeable "gorilla"!

Badland Hunters is a passable futuristic, sci-fi thriller purporting to star Don lee aka Ma Dong-seok. It is part post-apocalyptic version of "The Last of Us" with Zombies, and tribal interest but not as good. The story and setting are decent. Don Lee is always good, but underutilized here. The cast is decent. It lacks the normal humor that accompanies a Don Lee movie. The movie is simple to follow. It has some decent special effects, costumes, make-up, and landscapes. The violence is plentiful and decent. I hated the English language version of this- always watch these Korean films in their original language.

All of us have found ourselves in the situation of looking for a movie for hours just to pass the time, sitting at home and wondering and wondering what to watch tonight. Badland Hunters (Hwang-ya), it's a movie for someone who is looking exactly that, to watch a film to pass the time with fun and with action. It has enjoyable fights, dialogues with a lot of humor, nice "post-apocalyptic" (you can say) environment and an alternative if you are tired of zombie movies.

It's not somehting you will watch and say "this a great movie" BUT i'm sure anyone who likes this type of movies, it will not disappoint him and would love it! 7/10 from me!

TLDR; If you're expecting complex topics to be handled, you should watch something else, it's just a simple, fun zombie/disaster movie.

When it comes to the writing, the main characters made logical decisions which is usually something these kinds of movies do wrong. They were sceptical when they should've been and knew the limits to what they can and can't do, except for Nam-san, he can just do anything. As written in the TLDR, there isn't much complexity, so don't expect worldbuilding or very complex characters. Something I didn't really like was the attempted humor in the movie, both with the gang-leader and the random lady in the small town. This could be fun for some, especially when watching with family or friends.

Acting was good apart from the young male lead, he was over-acting a bit. Music and everything else was fine, nothing special.

Technically a spin off of the Korean blockbuster Concrete Utopia but offers a completely standalone viewing experience with mighty Dong Lee onboard what else one could ask for...

Badland Hunters serves as the directorial debut of Lee's long-time stunt coordinator Heo myeong who does prove his ability...

Action movie fans can confidently add Badland Hunters to their platter. With a strong serving of Don Lee's signature punches, ultraviolent zombie action with usual commercial so called cliches despite these formulae the film never fails to impress...The production values were fairly high though some of the destroyed city sets looked familiar from other dramas and movies set in the dry ruins of post apocalyptic korea...

Overall Badland Hunters won't be remembered for its riveting plot but when you have Ma Dong Seok swinging his mighty fists and a giant machete it really doesn't matter...

A mad scientist is hellbent on reviving his dead daughter and his weird experiment is stopped mid way. At the same time, Seoul is brought down by an earthquake with a Richter scale reading of 5. With no fresh water, the city is on the verge of apocalypse and enter the Hunter who not only keeps the people fed but also protects them from the bounty Hunters and ofcourse more. When the mad scientist returns with his sinister plan, taking away the young children, he is not aware of how many punches the Hunter can throw.

Badland Hunters succeed in terms of providing enough human punch bags to Don Lee. The ordinary vfx isn't really a hurdle in the proceedings and he quickly gets into business, starting with a crocodile. The story however has nothing new to offer and is as silly as one expects it to be, which could've been deemed Gold in the 80s but in 2024, one can be happy for Don Lee's screen presence to even make this bland film to entertain slightly. The runtime also helps as there is not too much space for melodrama and the makers seems to be aware of what their true strength is in so the film gets into action mode quickly and stays that way throughout.

Here's The 4K Lowedown on "Badland Hunters" (TV-MA - 2024 - Netflix) Country: South Korea

Genre: Action/Post Apocalyptic

My Score: 7.2 Cast=6 Acting=6 Trailer=8 Ending=8 Story=7 Visuals=9 Direct=6 Sounds=6 Genre=8 Sub-genre=8

When an earthquake turns Seoul into a lawless badland, a fearless huntsman goes on to rescue a teenager from a mad doctor who is using teenagers to help people to be more adaptive to the environment.

"There is one doctor that survived the day of the earthquake." This was a fun watch! Great action and some funny dialogue made this enjoyable to watch either subtitled or dubbed. Enter in some Train to Busan effects and you get a movie that crosses genres. This has something for the action, comedy, and even the horror fan. If you are willing to watch foreign movies, this South Korean gem is worth a watch for sure.

#BadlandHunters, released on #Netflix, is a Korean film set in the universe of #ConcreteUtopia. Watching this film is not compulsory, but the Hindi dubbing, as always, is well done to netflix. Speaking of the lead, Ma Dong-seok's presence raises expectations for intense action scenes, which the film delivers. However, in terms of the story, it presents nothing new, offering a familiar and worn-out narrative. Consequently, the film becomes a one-time watch in my opinion. Nonetheless, if you have spare time, it's worth a watch, but skipping it won't make much of a difference, share your thoughts about the film that you like it or not.

This movie was in my watchlist once I saw don lee was in it . So basically I watched it for him and I somewhat liked the movie bcoz of him. Movie is not too shabby in the technical aspects. Everyone have done good job of portraying their roles, the doc was really good. Now about the thing that really matters in a action movie, actions scenes were hit or a miss. Hand to Hand combat was done perfectly and gun fights are also good. But some people may find the action scenes nothing new and its true there isn't anything inventive. Overall the movie is a good one time watch for the action lovers and Don lee fans.

A Seoul transformed into a post-apocalyptic and lawless scenario, ideal for fitting a narrative that encompasses zombie films, gore, brawls, dystopia and Action typical of the South Korean school of Cinema.

In less than 5 minutes of film, the viewer has a preview of what they will see ahead: lots of action, an agile script and impactful scenes. Hwang-ya is yet another South Korean production that brings many ideas to mind, even if they don't work correctly or serve to create an energetic script that is even overdone.

The movie ends up not paying much attention to the social and pessimistic criticism that most films with a post-apocalyptic theme have. On the other hand, it bets on agile entertainment, in a narrative with lots of exaggerations, with no time for sentimentality, with action, fights and gunshots. In this part it works and can be very suitable for those who like the old Blockbuster Cinema.

Where do I begin.

The setting is nice and the CGI work is very good. 80% of the movie is green screen and CGI and money was well spent. The fight scenes are okay but there's a massive problem with the constant shaky cam. You never really see what's actually happening cause of the heavily shaking cam and a billion cuts. That's a bit difficult to watch.

But what's annoying me the most is the classic trope thing. No idea why Film makers try to fool us. They apparently don't have running water for at least 3 years! No hygiene at all. We see a lot of people who are covered in dirt, as they should giving the circumstances. But the female love interest, who's character was written very boring and one dimensional (as usual) looks like a model. With a perfect haircut. Uhm... Why? Every person who's playing a bigger role (except of the cookie cutter bad guys) look perfectly fine. Just a little dust on the cheeks and their clothes. But that's about it. You do NOT look like that if you don't have water for 3 years. Not even if you're a pretty girl.

Stuff like that is just disappointing and utterly boring.

It's an entertaining movie if you're able to look over those unnecessary issues, you'd expect from a noob in the industry.

I loved how invested the director is to the plot and backstory. At the very beginning of the film the story was made clear and the plot plausible. The characters were also interesting and entertaining. There were definitely no dull moments with this one. Even the action and chase scenes were so good and typical of exciting Korean action films. From beginning to end every scene was relevant and essential to the story in general. I just wished that the runtime was much longer. They could have provided more perspectives to the story. There was also an emotional edge to it that will surely tug at everyone's heartstrings.

I read in The Ankler, an entertainment newsletter, that this new movie on Netflix was atop the most watched films around the world, so we decided it would make a good choice for our super Saturday cinema this past weekend. Even though I live in a nexus of K-pop, we aren't huge K-pop stans, but do watch the occasional excellent movie ("Parasite", "Snowpiercer", "Train to Busan") or TV series ("Dr. Brain", "Pachinko"). This latest from the creative minds of Korea is a fun mindless romp. It's well paced, thrilling, pretty violent (though cartoonishly so), and with an excellent ass-kicking performance by the great Ma Dong-seok. It's supposedly a sequel to another movie, but we hadn't seen it and it didn't diminish our enjoyment. Check this out and add to your queue if you want entertaining dystopian entertainment to take your mind off our current dystopia. 😵