The writers ought to have focussed more on Nam San’s mysterious past. His conversation with a special-ops ally about not being a hero felt like a segway to a flashback, but not to be the case, sadly. The trope 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 – is as cliché and laughable as it gets.
Badland Hunters has some things going for it. Ma Dong-seok and Roh Jeong-eui remain the acting standouts. The writers could have perhaps built more on the relationships witnessed between characters – Su-Na and her grandmother, the eponymous hunters, and so forth. Instead, it focuses on what it knows best. The stunts are excellent, make no mistake, but the minute action scenes are used to plug gaps in the story, it’s a downward slope. Badland Hunters, despite being engaging here and there, goes in that general direction.
Film: Badland Hunters
Director: Heo Myung-haeng
Cast: Ma Dong-seok (Don Lee), Lee Joon-young, Roh Jeong-eui, Ahn Ji-hye
Streaming on: Netflix
Rating : 2.5/5
