Hey guys and welcome to a brand new review! Today, we will be discussing what has become something of a slow burn sensation on Netflix ever since it dropped in June, which is KPop Demon Hunters. This is the latest film from Sony Pictures Animation, who have gained immense acclaim recently for releasing films such as the Spider-Verse duology and The Mitchells vs. the Machines. I actually remember when this was announced way back in 2021 and it caught my attention by how… out there the concept was, but I was very interested in seeing how it would pan out. Now that the film has finally dropped on streaming, it has gained immense popularity, breaking through in a way that surprised me, even though I had heard very good things about it. Having finally witnessed it, what are my feelings toward it? Let’s jump right in and see how good of a show these Demon Hunters have put on!
We kick off with a prologue explaining how demons have been around for centuries, preying on the souls of humans in order to feed their ruler, Gwi-Mi, and how there has always been a group of hunters comprised of three individuals who are tasked with keeping the world safe. They do this by creating the Honmoon, a magic barrier that prevents the demons from coming into the human world and throughout many generation, the hunters are tasked with maintaining it, using their powerful singing voices. We then cut to the present where our current iteration of hunters known as Huntr/x, a K-pop group comprised of Runi, Mira, and Zoey who have taken the world by storm. With their success in the music world, they are getting closer and closer to accomplishing the sacred goal of the Hunters, which is to strengthen the Honmoon, so that it becomes the Golden Honmoon, which would prevent demons from entering the human realm for good. Their goal of accomplishing this gets a little complicated though when Runi starts having problems with her voice and a new boy band known as the Saja Boys pops up threatening to dethrone their popularity.
Right from the get go the movies establishes all of the rules and how this world works without it feeling overwhelming, and then plunges the audience into the action, showing off the kind of ride that we are in for. The basic premise is indeed very wacky on paper, but what directors, Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans do so well is embrace the insanity that can come from it, while also not letting the wackiness be a substitute for an emotionally compelling story. The tone is excellently balanced with the script being able to juggle hilarious comedy and thoughtful drama so well. I found myself laughing throughout due to all of the witty jokes that are thrown out with the best jokes mainly stemming from the sly commentary on the music industry, the stress that comes from working in it, and the various facets that make it up whether it is doing a performance, dealing with fans, or gaining rivals. However, I was also deeply invested in the story and while much of what I mentioned just now is used in a comedic sense very effectively, I also think it serves to give our characters some additional conflict that isn’t just the demons as they want to make music that is meaningful to them and their fans.
In fact, it isn’t just physical demons our heroes face as there is also a lot of inner turmoil within them (especially when it comes to Rumi) as they battle their own insecurities. All of this hit a deeper cord than I expected and I could relate to many of their fears of messing up or being defined by their mistakes. There are several scenes that leave a huge emotional impact whether it be in a gut wrenching manner or in the case of some of the big pay offs, an inspiring way that gives one the confidence to be proud of how they are. Plus, all of it is brought together in a very fun and cool way that has actual stakes, is never boring and runs at a brisk pace. I was even quite surprised at certain story turns that occur, some of which happen very early on in the picture and are developed thoroughly and make things more engaging. Now, there are some aspects I would’ve liked to have seen developed further as I think the stuff related to the demon world is very interesting and set up excellently, as I liked that they are portrayed in a more complicated light than just “demons bad”, however that aspect loses some focus as the film goes on. However, the movie is so well written on the whole, that I wasn’t too bothered by that.
Making everything more than a little bit better is the animation which serves as a nice cherry on top of an already amazing sundae. Taking some cues from the Spider-Verse franchise in going for a more stylized approach, yet also having it’s own unique feel, I found this to be such visual joy that had my eye glued to the screen at all times. I especially love the everything done with the characters as the designs and movements have an anime inspired quality, especially when it comes to their facial expressions as they have an exaggerated style that makes their emotions pop even harder and I dug all the little touches in this regard to emphasize them even further (especially helpful in the comedic beats). The designs of the demons are also varied and creative, likely taking much inspiration from mythology, while also getting across a lot of intimidation. In general, there is so much energy brimming throughout with the action benefitting from this as we get some truly amazing sequences that are fast paced, but never tiring, and I enjoy how dynamic it is in regard to all of the different fighting moves the hunters use, often mirroring dance choreography. I also like how the city of Seoul is portrayed as it feels like a character in and of itself brimming with life and having an immense attention to detail that succeeds (along with the portrayal of mythology) in rooting the film in Korean culture as Kang intended. Also think the uses of color is very effective with it often conveying the mood of a given scene whether it’s the bombastic and bright bursts present in the more uplifting and happy moments versus the darker hues of red and pink that take over the darker sections that add a lot of menace.
In regards to K-pop as a genre of music, I can’t say I’m the biggest fan of it. Nothing against the music, I just am not extremely knowledgeable of it beyond knowing the names of some bands. That being said, I was still knocked out by how amazing this soundtrack turned out to be with the songs not only being catchy, but being very well written in terms of what each tune is going for. I knew I was in for a great time when “How It’s Done” kicks things off as it is a fire introductory song that sets one up for the tone of the film, has some really fun lyrics, and is played during a kicka** action sequence. My personal favorite of the bunch has to be “Golden” the new song the Huntr/x is putting out in the film, which is just a joyful and lovely piece that is very hopeful and ties into the themes of the movie regarding not being afraid to express oneself and be proud of that (massive shout out to Rumi’s singing actress, Ejae who kills it with those high notes). I’m also a huge fan of “Your Idol” which is a spectacular villain song that is intense and serves as a way to showcase the toxic relationships certain musicians can have with their fans in a way that treats them as mindless pawns/worshippers instead of actual people (the complete opposite of what Huntr/x sets out to do with their music). Those are my top 3, however I do think “Takedown” is very enjoyable and does well in showcasing some inner conflict, “Soda Pop” is a catchy jinlge that serves it’s purpose as a crowd-pleaser to get people on board the Saja Boys train, “Free” is a very nice duet and romantic ballad that made me further invested in the Rumi-Jinu relationship, and “What it Sounds Like” is a fitting and satisfying closing number that plays a pivotal role in the climax. There’s not a single song that I dislike as they serve their purposes and have some spectacular musical numbers and sequences accompanying them.
What the film truly nails down to a pat is our core trio who are such an insanely enjoyable group of individuals to follow. Rumi (excellent vocal performance from Arden Cho) gets the most to do as the lead of the picture, and found her arc to be very well developed as the one who is in charge of the group and has immense pressure to live up to in not only leading a music group, but also taking charge in battle and having deep secrets of her own that she is told by her mentor Celine (Yunjin Kim) that she cannot tell her own teammates. Her learning to embrace who she is and face her inner turmoil is very powerfully told and I found her to be very relatable in many respects. She also just works as a strong determined personality who is also willing to have fun and make the best music possible, so not everything regarding her is as dark as the stuff I mentioned. Plus, while she is the one that gets the most focus, her teammates do not get the short shrift whatsoever. Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) is a very endearing presence who serves as the hyperactive one of the group. He energy is very fun and I found much to relate to her on a personal level with her own tendencies of overthinking things (and tendency to please people a bit too much), but strong willingness to help her friends no matter what. Mira (May Hong) is also awesome with her chill vibe and deadpan sense of humor that had me laughing multiple times. However behind the harsh exterior (which itself leads to her having trust issues), she does care deeply about her friends and wants what’s best for everyone. The dynamic between the three of them is so well done as one gets the sense that they have each other’s backs and their friendship is so well established, that it makes it sting when something happens that could cause some potential conflict between them. Each respective voice actor does great work and I honestly could just watch a movie about them just hanging out and it would be just as entertaining.
Also getting a lot of depth is Jinu (Ahn Heo-Sup) who makes for a captivating antagonist that manages to both ooze charisma and serve as a formidable threat. Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-Ha) is the main villain for sure and an effective one at that, working as a purely evil being who gets into his minion’s head, but Jinu is the one with a lot to do. He ended up having so many layers that I wasn’t expecting as things are slowly revealed about him throughout the course of the feature that make him into a very flawed character who one can understand and sympathize with, while also acknowledging the grave mistakes he made in his past were very wrong. There are many parallels with Rumi and I found their relationship to be very interesting as they have solid chemistry and their conversations to be very thoughtful and I appreciated how they come to learn a lot more about each other in a way that changes their world views. The rest of the Saja boys are just there to serve as a fun parody of boy bands and how their viewed and they serve their purpose in that regard while leading to some amusing moments where Zoey and Mira have crushes on two of them. In regards to other characters, I have to give a shout out to the team’s manager Bobby (delightful performance from Ken Jeong) whose loyalty to the girls and goofy personality made him a joyful addition and I just really appreciated seeing a manager character who is genuinely nice and supports their clients. I have a feeling him and Ruben from F1 would get along very well. Also very much enjoyed Daniel Dae Kim’s brief role as a doctor named Healer Han who is rather eccentric and read people a little too closely.
All in all, I had an tremendous time with KPop Demon Hunters, as it ended up delivering so much more than I thought it would. While there are certain aspects I would’ve liked to have seen more of, I found the story to be very engaging, the humor landed every time, the emotion is high, the visuals are colorful, the action is awesome, the songs are catchy and spectacular, and the character work is exceptional. Fans of animation are going to get such a kick out of this and I think if your just looking for a great movie that provides a fun time while also having plenty of substance packed in, even if you raise your eyebrow at the concept, this is worth taking a chance on. It’s another winner from Sony Picture Animation and I am very happy that it achieving such an immense level of success on Netflix, even if I still think this should’ve been a theatrical release as I feel with the fantastic word of mouth it could’ve been a solid hit and played great on the big screen. Still, I’m just happy that this movie exists as it just such a joy to watch and one I can see myself re watching a lot in the future. While the film works excellently on its own terms, this is definitely a world and set of characters I would love to see more of and I do hope that the success seen here will lead to further adventure with Huntr/x. If this is what it sounds like, then I cannot get enough of it!
Rating: A
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