Badland Hunters
DirectorHeo Myung-haeng
Producer
Screenplay
  • Kim Bo-tong
  • Kwak Jae-min
Starring
MusicKim Dong-wook
CinematographyByun Bong-sun
Editing
Studio
DistributorNetflix
ReleasedJanuary 26, 2024
Runtime107 minutes[1]
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Badland Hunters
Hangul^황야
Hanja荒野
LkWilderness

Badland Hunters () is a 2024 South Korean post-apocalyptic action film directed by Heo Myung-haeng in his directorial debut. A standalone sequel to Concrete Utopia (2023), it follows characters trying to survive in post-earthquake Seoul, now an orderless wasteland, three years after the original film's events.[2] Producer Byun Seung-min is the only key crew member to return from the original film.

Starring Ma Dong-seok, Lee Hee-joon, Lee Jun-young, and Roh Jeong-eui, the film is an original Netflix production and was released on January 26, 2024.[3][4]

Plot

In a post-apocalyptic Seoul,[a] Nam-san, a relentless wasteland hunter, along with his friend Choi Ji-wan and other survivors, are living a hard life in their village. Nam-san and Ji-wan navigate the desolate wastelands and scavenge for resources to sustain their community. Trouble ensues when Su-na, who is from their village, is kidnapped by a rogue scientist, Dr. Yang Gi-su, who has been illegally experimenting with making humans immortal by injecting them with a certain serum, which has led to the death of many teenagers.

Gi-su needed more supplies for the serum, and he had set up a network to bring more teenagers to his camp, in an apartment complex.[b] Nam-san, Ji-wan, and Lee Eun-ho, a military sergeant of the camp, discover Gi-su's experiments and go to rescue Su-na. It is revealed that Gi-su had been conducting experiments to revive his daughter So-yeon, who had died around the time when Seoul became a wasteland.

Nam-san, Ji-wan, and Eun-ho arrive at the camp and fight with mutant soldiers. They manage to rescue Su-na, while Gi-su escapes with So-yeon's body in a suitcase. However, he is surrounded by a mob of people, who are prepared to beat him to death. While shooting at the crowd, he accidentally damages the suitcase, killing So-yeon. Nam-san kills Gi-su and returns to his village, along with Su-na and Ji-wan.

Production

Planning for the film began after the production of Concrete Utopia, on November 14, 2021.[5] Filming began on February 15, 2022, and finished on May 18, 2022.[6]

On November 2, 2023, Netflix confirmed that the film was directed by martial arts director Heo Myung-haeng and produced by Climax Studios, with Big Punch Pictures and Nova film as co-producers.[3]

An Ji-hye, who plays special forces sergeant Eun-ho, performed 99% of her action scenes in the film.[7]

Release

As per KOFIC's integrated computer network for movie theater admissions announcements, Badland Hunters was released on January 26, 2024, on Netflix.[1]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 75%, based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 6/10.[8]

Romey Norton, writing in Ready Steady Cut, rated the film 4/5 and wrote, "Badland Hunters is thrilling from beginning to end, filled with action, danger, brutality, and a tiny bit of humor to take the edge off."[9] Christopher Cross of Asynchronous Media rated it 3.5/5 and said, "Badland Hunters [...] has just enough momentum to string together a series of fisticuffs and close-quarters combat that will elate any action fan."[10] Roger Moore of Movie Nation graded the film 2.5/4 and opined, "The story is recycled and nothing that should hold the interest of anybody who's seen a single post-apocalyptic zombie movie", adding, "but the action beats are first-rate, the fight-choreography next level and the trash talk...is top drawer B-movie pithy."[11] Whang Yee Ling of The Straits Times rated the film 3/5 and wrote, "Don Lee is true to form, pummelling bad guys in an adequate if unsurprising star vehicle."[12]

Viewership

Badland Hunters ranked first globally in the Netflix movie category, just one day after its release,[13] and from January 22 to 28, with 14.3 million views, was in first place in the Global Top 10 weekly list of the most-watched Netflix TV films (non-English). It retained this position in the following weeks, from January 29 to February 4, with 18.1 million views, and from February 5 to 11, with 6.1 million views.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ The Earthquake that devastated Seoul in the first film is stated to have happened three years prior.
  2. ^ The apartment complex is the same as the one the original film was set in.

References

  1. ^ Choi Jeong-ah (November 1, 2023). "ko:[단독] '흥행킹' 마동석, '황야'로 이준영·노정의와 새해 넷플릭스 첫 타자" [[Exclusive] 'Box-office King' Ma Dong-seok joins Lee Jun-young and Roh Jeong-eui for the first hit on Netflix in the new year with 'Wilderness'] (in Korean). Sports World. Naver. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  2. ^ Kim Na-yeon (November 2, 2023). "ko:마동석 '황야', 극장 아닌 넷플릭스 간다..전 세계 190개국 공개" [Ma Dong-seok's 'Wilderness' goes to Netflix instead of theaters.. released in 190 countries around the world] (in Korean). Star News. Retrieved November 2, 2023. – via Naver
  3. ^ James Chang (November 2, 2023). "Going Big: Don Lee's 'Badland Hunters' to Redefine Korean Blockbusters". Netflix Media Center. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Jonathan Hicap (January 14, 2024). "Netflix drops main trailer for film 'Badland Hunters' starring 'Train to Busan' actor Ma Dong-seok". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  5. ^ Jeong Hyung-hwa (December 27, 2021). "ko:[단독]이병헌·박서준→마동석 '콘크리트 유토피아' 세계관 2022년 기대↑ [종합]" [Exclusive Lee Byung-hun, Park Seo-joon – Ma Dong-seok's 'Concrete Utopia' world view in 2022] (in Korean). Star News. Naver. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  6. ^ "Badland Hunters – (Korean Movie, 2024, 황야)". HanCinema. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Ryu Ye-ji (January 2, 2024). "ko:[공식] 안지혜, 넷플릭스 영화 '황야' 캐스팅...마동석과 호흡" [[Official] Ahn Ji-hye cast in Netflix movie 'Wilderness'... Breathing with Ma Dong-seok] (in Korean). Ten Asia. Retrieved January 5, 2024. – via Naver
  8. ^ "Badland Hunters (2024, Action/Sci-fi)" (m). badland_hunters. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  9. ^ Norton, Romey (January 26, 2024). "Badland Hunters Review – Badass apocalyptic drama". Ready Steady Cut. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  10. ^ Cross, Christopher (January 26, 2024). "'Badland Hunters' Review". Asynchronous Media. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  11. ^ Moore, Roger (January 26, 2024). "Netflixable? Another tale of the Korean Apocalypse – "Badland Hunters"". Movie Nation. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  12. ^ Whang Yee Ling (January 31, 2024). "Badland Hunters (M18)". The Straits Times (Singapore). Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Kim Na-yeon (January 29, 2024). "ko:마동석, 넷플릭스도 삼켰다..'황야' 글로벌 1위 등극" [Ma Dong-seok swallows up Netflix too..'Wilderness' ranks first globally] (in Korean). Star News. Naver. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  14. ^ "Top 10; Weekly Top 10 lists of the most-watched TV and films". Netflix top 10. Retrieved February 14, 2024.