A sequel to Concrete Utopia (2023), Badland Hunters marks the directorial debut of stunt man Heo Myung-haeng. If there’s one aspect you can’t fault this post-apocalyptic science-fiction film for, it is the action choreography. With realistic hand-to-hand combat, the expert use of weapons and other tools (machetes, etc.), there are plenty of admirable action scenes. Ma Dong-seok brings his deadpan comic timing to the fore as well. But, much of what works for the film is overshadowed by a fairly predictable end-of-the-world storyline.
A severe shortage of resources for survival with monopolisation by evil folk masquerading as new world saviours; heroes doing their best to restore order; scientists using humans as lab rats for the future of the species. All of this is fairly par for the course.
While some of these ideas benefit from good acting, they could have been fleshed out for more depth. A zombie apocalypse film like Train to Busan made such an impression because it allowed for many interpretations, leaving a mark on your psyche. Badland Hunters makes a fist of going deeper, emphasising the importance of human connection in a world on the brink of destruction. The average execution and crammed narrative, however, prevent it from being riveting.
Take away the adrenaline-inducing action, and perhaps the only good thing you are left with is Dong-seok whose acting range is a treat to watch. He is the one who keeps things moving in the film which would have gone south had
it not been for the action. The writers ought to have focused more on his character’s mysterious past though. His conversation with a special-ops ally about not being a hero felt like a segue to a flashback, but it doesn’t turn out to be the case, sadly. The writers should have also built more on the relationships between the different characters, instead of reusing the tropes of the ‘apartment/facility’, the mad scientist and his ludicrous research, his line of devoted protectors, and the gullible parents sending their wards without question, which are all rather clichéd.
Badland Hunters is a moderately engaging watch, but it could have been so much more.