Badland Hunters

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.