Badland Hunters (2024) User Reviews

A wild ride

[masonsaul · 7/10 · 26 January 2024]

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.

Cheese with blood and slime

[xnicofingerx · 6/10 · 29 January 2024]

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.

Not bad, Good filler but a one-time viewing

[moorek · 5/10 · 27 January 2024]

While I give the film a 5, I'm not sure if it should be that high. I watched it and didn't fast forward and that is a good sign. They didn't laden the film with too much subtext so the plot moves along fairly quickly. Yet it didn't offer anything that we've not seen before.

But that moving of the plot along also made the movie oddly disjointed with chunks of the story left unanswered or touched on very briefly. Things like: *Why did an earthquake in one area destroy so much of the world? And that scene happened so fast and there was no explanation. And then suddenly we were in the future.

*After that kind of earthquake, why wouldn't people be out in rural areas for farming.

*A crocodile?

*How did the two hunters catch up to the same area where grandmother was killed? If the group left as early as implied then they'd have had a great head start.

*The ending comes as fast as the beginning. Just a passing reference to "staying here and rebuilding" and the visit to the grave. They could have added a few more minutes to show us the repercussions.

*What is "mister's" background? Everyone seems to know him.

"How did he save the girl before? That's just dropped on us.

*Where is all the security? Three people, one of whom is not a fighter, were able to break in and take out all the security. You'd think roaming gangs would have been able to do that to get access to the water.

*And really, rain at the last moment?

The acting wasn't bad but still fairly average. I liked some of the actors playing bit parts as parents more than some of the main characters. I like Ma Dong-seok in the few things I've seen him in and he did well but he's not the kind of actor that I see carrying out this role - even though I know he has a martial arts background.

So it's worth a watch but just put your brain in a holding pattern.

Not really a sequel

[Luv2Spooge · 7/10 · 27 January 2024]

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.

A Fun SF B Movie

[Pairic · 7/10 · 28 January 2024]

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.

Typical Ma Dong Seok action flick

[venkatakrishnainaganti · 6/10 · 26 January 2024]

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.

Really fun!!!

[alooolwazwaz · 6/10 · 28 January 2024]

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.

Let down.

[TreeFiddy53 · 5/10 · 30 January 2024]

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.

Bland story and characters, kick-ass action setpieces

[MovieWarfare · 6/10 · 23 February 2024]

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!

Don Lee gets to punch the undead again.

[chand-suhas · 5/10 · 1 February 2024]

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.

It's a cheesy and gory action flick that delivered what it was promising. What else do you expect? Life changing experience? Epiphany?

[Snownoise · 8/10 · 27 January 2024]

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.

I still don't understand why Don Lee is not in John Wick universe yet

[Neptune165 · 6/10 · 28 January 2024]

Korean Entertainment Industry is BAWAAL itself . It's not make movies or dramas it's make Emotions It's a pretty entertaining sequel to a recent quality film. 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.

Not Really A Ma Dong-seok Movie

[tkdlifemagazine · 4/10 · 26 January 2024]

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.

Water is life...or is it?

[paulclaassen · 7/10 · 31 January 2024]

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 (Hwang-ya) 2024

[max_sarlanis · 7/10 · 31 January 2024]

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!

6.5

[Dodo_Kk · 6/10 · 5 February 2024]

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.

A typical pop-corn flick

[PANDIAN120621 · 6/10 · 27 January 2024]

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...

Badland Hunters aka (Hwang-ya) REVIEW

[AzizTate · 4/10 · 26 January 2024]

#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.

Fed up with post apocalyptic world

[Moviebuff_Chennai · 6/10 · 3 February 2024]

Yes I am actually fed up with the post apocalyptic movies and series. Actually I m fed up with these plots itself. As usual the movie starts with a calamity and a doctor trying to survive or help his sick daughter. Why the daughter is sick is not revealed but the calamity happens and at the same time militants arrest the doctor. After several years the world is suffering and hero becomes a alpha survivor. Same story right and a group trying to use the remaining people for some research and no government nor judicial. The plot moves with the hero invading to the research facility and what research is done and who is the villain here and the story atleast ends with some positive scene. The full movie is action based and lot of zombie kind of scenes and one more in this kind - nothing special. I m just happy that the movie is available in Tamil.

An absolute waste of time!

[hibafarooqi · 1/10 · 26 January 2024]

Had high hopes on this one but SO dissapointed. The plot, the direction- everything was terrible! Do not waste your time on this. Shocking to see how the industry that produced gems like train to busan, etc. Came up with this.

No comparison to any other movie, this movie was terrible on its own. Time wasted!

I could guess the entire plot within the first few minutes. The reveals were not shocking at all.. What were they thinking?

The acting was sub-par as well.

Charecter buildup was bad. The jokes, etc. Have been done a 100 times........ Really hope the industry comes up with better movies.

Not Bad

[Couziambatman · 8/10 · 27 January 2024]

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 fun watch that crosses genres

[lojitsu · 7/10 · 5 February 2024]

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.

1h48 lost forever...

[lilabsilva · 3/10 · 2 February 2024]

I'm sad to write this, but this movie is so bad and in so many ways that I'm even discourage to write down more. The storyline is weak, the acting is weak, the action scenes are weak, the FINALE is weak. I mean... You have a great cast, a great idea and you just messed up at everything.

I'm sad with that, I love the cast and I loved the ideia, but the development was just unbearable. At the end of the first act, you already know what is going to happen. The movie is extremely predictable. When I saw the scene with the "zombies", my reaction was like "Nooooooo, don't do this. Nooooo. OMG. 😫".

So, yeah, it was very disappointing.

Well paced, thrilling, and really violent dystopia from Korea...

[mdw0526 · 7/10 · 21 February 2024]

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. 😵

A Twist on the Post-Apocalyptic Genre

[relampago-56516 · 6/10 · 4 March 2024]

I have a soft spot for post-apocalyptic movies, and Netflix's 2024 release, "Hunters in Barren Lands," didn't disappoint. Venturing into it somewhat blindly, I was intrigued by the premise of an earthquake that devastates Korea and the fate of its survivors. What I didn't anticipate was the plot revolving around a doctor and his mysterious immortality vaccine, capable of resurrecting the dead.

This film ingeniously blends post-apocalyptic and zombie elements, not in a widespread zombie invasion sense but as a contained outbreak with a definitive start and end. It delivers precisely what the audience craves: an examination of human immorality in the face of existential crisis, the scarcity alongside community solidarity, and a hefty serving of action.

While some plot twists felt predictable, others offered refreshing originality. The protagonist, dubbed a "half-gorilla" for his superhuman strength, dispels any mutation theories - he's just an exceptionally strong human. The gang confrontations, reminiscent of video games like "Borderlands" or "Lisa," or even a Korean "Mad Max," expose the extremes of society: from utter scoundrels to sheep when vulnerable.

For those looking for a post-apocalyptic popcorn flick to spend a morning/afternoon/night with, this movie hits the mark. Though it whets the appetite for more exploration of such desolate worlds, the narrative is decidedly finite, offering just a glimpse into this universe, with a sorrowful beginning and a potentially happy end. It leaves one curious about the characters' futures but concludes their story definitively, making it a fleeting tale of the moment. While a sequel or spin-off to "Hunters in Barren Lands" seems unlikely, the notion remains tantalizing.