Badland Hunters (2024)

Mix fantasy ben assortito

Un movie che ha un mix di Spider Man..perché mi viene in mente il dottor Connors e i suoi esperimenti che mutavano gli esseri umani in lucertole, e i film sugli zombie dove per farli fuori dovevi far saltare loro la testa!

Detto questo è un fantasy e lo si accetta così com'è e con tutta la crudeltà che ci hanno messo dentro... devo dire che in corea la mezza misura non esiste ..o troppo sdolcinato con baci troppo pudici oppure troppo cruento con teste mozzate e sangue ovunque.

La storia comunque ha un suo inizio e una sua fine molto coerenti e con il giusto senso..

Bellissimo il duo formato da Lee jun young e Ma Dong Seok un super mega omone che ispira sia terrore che bontà e che quando si muove trema tutto letteralmente! Il loro rapporto sembrava più padre e figlio anche se non era il sangue a legarli.. Lee jun young aveva la parte del 18enne tenero e bambinone che però al momento giusto sapeva essere letale, insieme ci hanno saputo regalare anche dei momenti molto divertenti nella criticità del movie. La dolce Roh Jeong-Eui qui in tutt'altra veste che in Crushology era la donzella da salvare ma molto sveglia nell'agire e prendere decisioni.

Un bel cast tutto sommato con l'intervento anche della bellissima Ahn Ji hye come sergente che sperava ancora di salvare i suoi uomini.

Il nostro dottore pazzo che da inizio alla storia e con cui la storia finisce pensava di riportare in vita la figlia facendo esperimenti "lucertola" sui ragazzi ma alla fine.... tutto è bene quel che finisce bene 😝

Se vi piace lo stile apocalisse..mutazioni..sangue e teste che volano vale la pena vederlo 😜

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Will someone please think of the children!

When your introduction to a movie is a mad scientist and then an alligator wandering in the ruins of the city, you know you are in for a wild ride. Badland Hunters won’t be remembered for its riveting plot but when you have Ma Dong Seok swinging his mighty fists and a giant serrated machete it really doesn’t matter.

Three years after an earthquake that leveled Korea, Nam San along with teenagers Choi Ji Wan and Su Na live in an encampment called the Bus District. Due to a devastating drought, water is the most precious commodity. Nam San and Ji Wan are hunters for the people. They trade meat for whatever their neighbors can spare. A well-dressed group comes to the encampment looking for teenagers. The newcomers promise Su Na and her grandmother all the fresh water they can drink, shelter, and food at the only apartment complex to survive the quake. In a dystopian future when armed men come promising “heaven on earth”, best to be suspicious. It doesn’t take long for everyone to realize that heaven is not all it seems to be when a mad scientist is running the place. Nam San was ready rain down hell on the complex to rescue Su Na.

It would have been nice to have some background info on our main characters, but in this sort of movie it’s not overly necessary. Though it stumbled about in regards to narrative, the fights were right on point. Nam San had to take the scenic route on the way to the apartment complex so that he, Ji Wan, and newcomer Eun Ho could battle their way through two gangs. While the story didn’t add anything new to the genre except for maybe the whole “I am the Lizard King” angle, the fights were well choreographed. Most of the hand-to-hand combat was in close quarters and bloody. Very bloody. Lots of dismemberments and decapitations. The big draw to a film like this was watching Ma Dong Seok do his stuff. I love this big ahjussi hitter.

The production values were fairly high though some of the destroyed city sets looked familiar from other dramas and movies set in the dry ruins of Korea. Badland Hunters didn’t set itself apart in this genre but it was entertaining. I could have used 25% more ahjussi hitter. I’m just happy Ma Dong Seok is still making this kind of fun action film at the age of 52. If you are looking for a taut script with new thrilling elements in the ruins of the future, you might need to look elsewhere, especially if you’ve seen a number of this type of movie. But if, like me, you enjoy watching the big guy pummel his way through baddies, even ones with long forked tongues, you might want to give this a try.

26 January 2024

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