In 2023, the South Korean filmConcrete Utopiabecame a massive hitwith a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating. As of today, the film has won 14 awards already, including two for best film. It was even selected as the South Korean entry for the 96th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. Unfortunately, it didn’t make the shortlist, butConcrete Utopiastill received very positive reviews for its balance of black comedy and psychologically thrilling atmosphere.
The 2024 sequel,Badland Hunters, was released on Netflix in January. It took the first place spot in the Global Top 10 weekly list of the most-watched non-English Netflix films. So far, the sequel lives up to its predecessor’s reputation. But what exactly isConcrete Utopia? And what carries over into the sequel? The answers are pretty surprising. Here’s what you need to know aboutConcrete Utopiabefore diving into the action-packedBadland Hunters.
Concrete Utopia Is a Hit Thriller Film
You might notice that one of the major differences between the films is their subgenres. They are bothdystopian/disaster moviesthrough and through, butConcrete Utopia’s approach is unlikeBadland Hunters. For starters,Concrete Utopiais a disaster thriller with psychological elements. The main plot involves a group of residents in an apartment complex defending their home from the survivors outside who are looking for shelter after Seoul, Korea, was destroyed overnight by a massive earthquake.
Imperial Palace Apartments is the only structure left standing, with the residents assigning a resident leader to create rules for them and prevent any outsiders from entering the complex.Concrete Utopiais a more layered film, leaving the audience to pick apart the themes and determine what the movie means to them. The film is a good balance of representing the worst in human society (selfishness, betrayal, greed) with the hope that things will get better with the help of the community.
Badland Huntersis less of a thriller and more of anaction-packed dystopian movie. The plot is pretty simple compared toConcrete Utopia: a wasteland hunter is on a mission to save a girl kidnapped by a rogue scientist who has been performing experiments on teenagers, resulting in many deaths. It’s straightforward and focuses more on the action than the overall environment. But since both films are in the same universe,Concrete Utopiashows us one side of how people live in a dystopian world secluded rather than on the outside, facing whatever lies in store.
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Concrete Utopia Is Based on a Webtoon
Concrete Utopiais actuallybased on a webtoon. Well, the second part of a webtoon, technically. The webtoon is calledPleasant Outcast(akaPleasant Bullying) by Kim Soong-Nyung. The director ofConcrete Utopia, Um Tae-hwa, read this webtoon and was fascinated with the story of what would happen if everything but one single building was destroyed. The first half of the webtoon series is about a 15-year-old boy named Donghyun, who is an outcast in his school. Because of this, he is a victim of bullying. However, when a new transfer student named Suhyeon comes to his school, this new student shakes up Donghyun’s life.
Concrete Utopia and Badland Hunters Are Stand Alone
Badland Hunters
Badland Hunters isnot a direct sequeltoConcrete Utopia. In fact, both films follow a completely different set of characters.Concrete Utopiafollows Yeong-Tak (Lee Byung-hun) as the leader of the residents in Imperial Palace Apartments, tasked to keep his fellow residents in line and safe from the survivors outside.
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Badland Huntersfollows the wasteland hunter Nam-San (Ma Dong-seok) on his journey to rescue a young girl from experimentation.Badland Huntersbriefly connects toConcrete Utopiavia the Imperial Palace Apartments, the same apartment complex where Dr. Yang Gi-su (Lee Hee-joon) camped to perform experiments. Other than the earthquake that destroyed Seoul in the universe of both films, the two films stand alone.
Technically, you don’t necessarily have to watchConcrete Utopiato watch and understandBadland Hunters. But because these films take place in the same dystopia and have different subgenres, it’s interesting to see how one movie paints the world and the people in it versus the other.
Concrete Utopiais full of suspense and dark humor in trying times, trying to live a relatively normal life while adapting to the seclusion the characters put themselves in. Meanwhile,Badland Huntersis filled with danger, action, comic relief, and a fierceness like no other. WhileConcrete Utopiatackles human rights and wrongs during a time of survival,Badland Huntersis the typical hero’s journey through and through. Thetrailer forBadland Huntersis available on YouTube.Concrete Utopiais available to rent on Viki, whileBadland Huntersis currently streaming on Netflix.
Rent Concrete Utopia on Viki
Stream Badland Hunters on Netflix
