REVIEW: ‘Badland Hunters’ Is A Fun Fightfest

South Korea’s submission to the 2024 Academy Awards was Concrete Utopia, a cold film by director Um Tae-hwa based in the world of Kim Soongnyung’s webtoon Pleasant Bullying. It tells the story of the last standing apartment building after a catastrophic event that has ripped apart Seoul. It’s a bitter look at humanity and selfishness that arises from generational gaps, more of a disaster story than an action movie. But this isn’t the only film in the Pleasant Bullying adaptation universe. Netflix’s Badland Hunters (Hwang-ya), starring the iconic Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee for U.S. audiences), brings viewers back to that singular apartment building with a roaring b-action movie fight fest.

Set three years after Seoul has turned into an apocalyptic wasteland, Badland Hunters follows Nam-san, a tough huntsman. He plays the role of hunter and protector as the gangs make their way to exploit the survivors’ enclave. He also winds up a father figure in his small group, with Choi Ji-Wan (Lee Joon-young) and Suna (No Jeong-ee) as his charges. But when mysterious people from the last-standing apartment in Seoul show up, they promise normalcy. Or at least they promise it to Suna, the only teenager in the enclave, and her grandmother. But when their nefarious purpose is revealed, Nam-san is pushed to act.

Now home to a mad scientist with great hair, Yang Gi-su (Lee Hee-joon), the apartment building is a place of “evolution.” Sending his apartment residents out to the wastelands to collect teenagers and children alike, the mad doctor runs genetic experiments to survive. He leaves a trail of broken families along the way.

Actor Ma is a force of nature, with each punch sending enemies flying back, as he always does. The power packed into his size is always apparent whether he’s fighting with his signature-wrapped fists or slicing down necks with a machete-esque weapon. He’s imposing, always. But he’s also effortlessly funny. As Nam-san, Ma is the baddest hunter in the film, and he is the hammer that comes down whenever someone he holds close is in danger.

At the same time, Lee Joon-young‘s Choi Ji-wan offers even more humor. Charismatic and clumsy, Ji-wan is endearing. Especially with how often he tries to push past his limits to save the ones she cares about. Ma may be a shield and a sword, but actor Lee is the heart of the group. He holds the little found family together, tethering Nam-san and Suna together to himself. Although don’t get me wrong. Ji-wan has his own fair share of brash action moments with a bow. In close combat, it’s electric to watch.

Badland Hunters’ action is its strength. Ji-wan and Nam-san bring humor, but the second act addition to the film, Lee Eun-ho (Ahn Ji-hye), keeps the gas pedal to the floor. Action films are at their best when they utilize their entire ensemble to hit the audience. While Ma is the obvious choice for the most fights in the film, the film also takes full advantage of actress Ahn as Eun-ho.

She’s quick, she’s vicious, and the camera treats her with the same respect as the men when she’s in movement. Her fight sequences are done at the same speed as Ma’s and Lee’s, but the choreography takes clear advantage of her smaller size, keeping her low to the ground. Eun-ho slides, cuts, and keeps getting back up every time she’s knocked out. The fact that actress Ahn performed the vast majority of her fight choreography is apparent. Like others in the film, there are very few cuts used in her sequences, giving Eun-ho the intimidating factor she deserves in the story.

The biggest issue with the film is how much exposition disrupts the pacing. In those moments, Badland Hunters loses its edge. However, it finds it again when it gives into the weight of absurd action sequences that keep the adrenaline pumping. The film is at its best when it embraces just how weird and loud the events taking place within it are. It’s the exact opposite of the refined Concrete Utopia. This echoes in the film’s final act as the apartment building from the first film is ripped apart by action.

This isn’t a problem, though. While the exposition we see in the apartment is too much, the use of the building itself is stellar. As an action set piece, the apartment comes to life. For those who watched Concrete Utopia, you can see and appreciate how much it has been gutted and repurposed. Badland Hunters may stem from the same catalyst, but it’s not the same genre or atmosphere. Instead, the film is a part of a wider world within the broader story with its own purpose. That purpose just so happens to be hacking, slashing, and decapitating enemies on the remnants of a blown-out window.

Badland Hunters isn’t high art, but it is rip-roaring fun that gets bigger and louder with each subsequent act. Filled with charm and humor—and ultra-violent fight scenes— the film is a top-tier popcorn flick for anyone in love with the action genre. Or, anyone deeply enamored with Ma Dong-seok’s action career, for that matter.

Badland Hunters is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.