Just when you thought K-dramas had reached their peak, along comes a thrilling ride that’s climbing Netflix’s charts fast.
Badland Hunters, the latest South Korean sensation, has landed at the ninth spot on Netflix’s top ten list of films in the UK and has infiltrated the top ten in a whopping 89 countries, including Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Directed by Heo Myung-haeng in his directorial debut, Badland Hunters boasts a cast featuring Ma Dong-seok, Lee Hee-joon, Lee Jun-young, and Roh Jeong-eui. The film serves as a sequel to Concrete Utopia and plunges us into a world where Seoul has transformed into an apocalyptic wasteland after a devastating earthquake, where survival is the name of the game, and civilisation is a distant memory.
The plot follows Nam-San (played by Ma Dong-seok), a relentless wasteland hunter, and his trusted partner, Choi Ji-wan (Lee Jun-young), as they navigate the desolate landscape, scavenging for resources to sustain their community. However, their lives take a dangerous turn when one of their own, Su-na (Roh Jeong-eui), is kidnapped by a rogue scientist, Dr Yang Gi-su (Lee Hee-joon), who is conducting illegal experiments in a bid to achieve immortality.
Despite mixed critical reception, Badland Hunters has garnered praise for its action sequences and intense atmosphere. However, the star of the film, Dong-seok, has no qualms about the response, “All (of the reviews) are right.” He told The Korea Times, “I always give my best in each work. I will continue to create and take part in projects, but there will be ones that (audiences) find enjoyable and ones they don’t.”
Further speaking about Badland Hunters, Dong-seok said, “The film is an action-centric entertainment flick rather than a story-driven one. I wanted people to enjoy it like a game when filming it.” This is all the more reason for fans of films like Extraction and Extraction 2 to tune in.
You can watch Badland Hunters on Netflix and catch the trailer here:
