**Concrete Utopia** is a 2023 South Korean film released in Korean theaters, set in a world where everything has collapsed except for a single apartment building after a massive earthquake. This film is one of the few South Korean films in 2023 that has surpassed its break-even point, and it has gained popularity as a film that satirizes Korean society.

**The Netflix original film ‘Badland Hunters’, scheduled to be released on January 26, 2024, shares the same world view as ‘Concrete Utopia’.** In ‘Concrete Utopia’, Hwanggung Apartment was the only apartment that did not collapse, but its residents were scattered due to their selfishness and division.

In Badland Hunters, Dr. Yang Gisoo (Lee Hee-joon), the new owner of the apartment, is a typical mad scientist who gathers people and conducts experiments on them. **His goal is to create a new human race.** People who were struggling to survive in the collapsed world voluntarily go to the apartment of the mad scientist who has abundant resources.

Meanwhile, Namsan (Ma Dong-seok), who has been surviving by hunting crocodiles and other animals outside the apartment, hears about Yang Gisoo's conspiracy from a soldier who escaped from the apartment. Su-na (Noh Jung-ui), a girl who is close to Namsan, had left for Hwanggung Apartment a while ago. **Namsan heads to Hwanggung Apartment with his disciple Ji-wan (Lee Joon-young) to rescue Su-na.** What awaits them there are people who have been turned into monsters by the mad scientist.

**The main character of this film is played by Ma Dong-seok, as shown in the promotional poster.** He has shown his unique bare-handed action in films such as ‘The Outlaws’ and ‘Train to Busan’, and he has also appeared in Marvel’s ‘Eternals’ as Gilgamesh. In this film, Ma Dong-seok does not use bare-handed action but instead uses a shotgun and a wide sword. _If you are a little tired of Ma Dong-seok’s signature action, you might be able to see a new side of him in this film._

Unlike the previous film ‘Concrete Utopia’, which was a black comedy that satirized the contradictions of Korean society using an apartment as a motif, **‘Badland Hunters’ focuses on the struggles of those who survived in a post-apocalyptic version of Seoul.** Therefore, we can expect it to be a more mainstream action film than its predecessor. _The battle between the monster and Ma Dong-seok is reminiscent of the symbolic zombie film ‘Train to Busan’._