Movie · 2024 · Action, Adventure, Thriller, Horror · 1h 47m · R · Korean
Curator score: 1.6/10 (45.2K ratings)
One last hunt to save us all.
Overview
After a deadly earthquake turns Seoul into a lawless badland, a fearless huntsman springs into action to rescue a teenager abducted by a mad doctor.
Ratings
Curator score: 1.6/10
IMDb: 6.0/10
Letterboxd: 2.86/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
Metacritic: 54
TMDB: 6.7/10
Director
Heo Myeong-haeng
Production
Climax Studios, Big Punch Pictures, Nova Film
Cast
Don Lee, Lee Jun-young, Lee Hee-jun, Roh Jeong-eui, Ahn Ji-hye, Park Ji-hoon, Kang Sung-Wook, Lee Sung-woo, Jang Young-nam, Park Hyo-joon, Seo Mun-ho, Seong Byeong-suk, Jeong Young-ju, Lee Han-joo, Park Sang-hoon, Ahn Seong-bong, Jeong Gi-seop, Kim Young-sun, Sin Sin-beom, Hong Yi-joo
Where to watch
Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A lean, goofy post-apocalyptic action ride built around Don Lee’s brute-force charisma. The plot is thin and the worldbuilding is mostly functional, but the action, gore, and comic-book energy make it easy to enjoy if you’re here for spectacle over substance.
Badland Hunters is the kind of movie that knows exactly what it is: a rough, muscular action romp set in a ruined Seoul where the main attraction is watching Don Lee smash through everything in sight. The premise is pure pulp, and the film mostly treats character and logic as speed bumps on the way to the next brawl, gunfight, or grotesque creature attack.
Worth noting
That said, the action is staged with real physical force, and the movie has a scrappy, entertaining momentum once it gets moving. It borrows freely from post-apocalyptic westerns, mutant horror, and old-school DTV action, then filters it through a very Korean blockbuster sensibility. The result is messy, but often fun.
Bottom line
If you want a sharp script or a memorable emotional arc, this will probably feel disposable. If you want a grimy, violent Saturday-night watch with a larger-than-life lead, it delivers enough mayhem to justify the ride.
Top Letterboxd reviews
TheFreshBeef (2.5★) · 456 likes
Me when it comes to the plot: 😐
Me when Ma Dong-seok hurts people: 😄
theyo theyo (3★) · 264 likes
watching ma dong-seok beating the shit out of people is my favorite genre
Adam Putra (4.5★) · 189 likes
An absolute nut-buster. As the film is in the universe of Concrete Utopia, this is surprisingly change drastically 180° and time for us to say goodbye to human drama and welcome us to see Don Lee to use his arms to beat the shit out of bad guys and experimental freaks. This is basically The Roundup but with dystopian modern western kinda style and a little bit of fantasy seasoning all the way to capture the maximum madness. Badland Hunters… more An absolute nut-buster. As the film is in the universe of Concrete Utopia, this is surprisingly change drastically 180° and time for us to say goodbye to human drama and welcome us to see Don Lee to use his arms to beat the shit out of bad guys and experimental freaks. This is basically The Roundup but with dystopian modern western kinda style and a little bit of fantasy seasoning all the way to capture the maximum madness. Badland Hunters… more
Joe A (2.5★) · 129 likes
Learning this is a sequel to Concrete Utopia, which is vastly different in tone and hasn’t had a wide release in the US at the time of me writing this, is incredibly strange.
Brandon Wade (3★) · 105 likes
Fun but forgettable. Ma Dong-seok is a beast as always.