You probably didn’t see this one coming, but here we are. There’s been A LOT of discussion about Netflix’s most viewed film of all time, and one has to wonder when movies become so part of the zeitgeist so quickly, are they being overhyped, or is there some legitimate reason for it becoming a global phenomenon? So it was time to answer that question regarding KPop Demon Hunters, an animated film from Sony, over at Netflix. Let’s find out if it was actually any good, or if it’s just some overblown fluff.
KPop Demon Hunters builds itself on the foundation of both the current craze for K-pop and K-dramas (popular forms of media from South Korea) as well as the country’s own folklore and mythology, chiefly around demonology. The premise sounds a bit like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, where in each generation, three girls are chosen to become Demon Hunters, who use the power of music to create something called a Honmoon, a magical barrier that keeps the demons at bay. Of course, there are holes in the barrier, so the singers are also talented fighters. As the ages pass, the barrier gets stronger, and now, the K-pop trio Huntr/x find themselves on the cusp of achieving the Golden Honmoon, which will permanently block out the demons forever. There’s just some problems arising: the trio’s leader, Rumi, has suddenly lost her ability to sing the high notes, which happens just as the demons make the most unexpected play to date: to pose as a new K-pop boy band called the Saja Boys to take Huntr/x’s fans away from them, thus distabalizing the Honmoon.
What you may notice at first glance is that KPop Demon Hunters looks good from an animation perspective. It’s seemingly inspired by the Spider-Verse films, but opts for a fully 3D world that pops with colours and engaging camera work. Despite being a 3D film, the art style feels inspired by anime, regardless, especially when it comes to the characters’ reactions, resulting in some pretty humourous visual gags. The movie is also heavy on K-pop music, and while I’m by no means an expert or a fan, I must admit that most of the tunes were pretty catchy. At the very least, the lyrics of their songs did fit the themes presented in the movie, as all good musicals should.
And there’s more going on under the hood of KPop Demon Hunters than meets the eye. This is a movie that’s filled with more layered nuance and complex themes than I was expecting. The movie likely would’ve been a fun enough romp of being a good versus evil musical, but there’s a lot more shades of grey and complexity at play here. Even the film’s primary antagonist, Jinu, the lead singer of Saja Boys, becomes way more interesting than you may think upon first glance. He’s deeply complex, and his back and forth with Rumi becomes one of the film’s high points. Without spoiling much, there’s also an interesting theme of identity and what that means to both you and others around you, which can be interpreted in more than one way for the audience. I also liked that Saja Boys just burst onto the scene with far more generic and commercialized (but no less catchy) music compared to Huntr/x’s more emotionally charged lyrics, but because music, in particular K-pop, is a popularity contest, they easily burst onto the scene with nothing more than a catchy track without any soul, not unlike their true demon forms. The movie could’ve benefited by being a bit longer, to allow for certain dramatic plot lines to really get fleshed out in the last act. As it stands, things kind of just happen and are resolved before they get a moment to really feel impactful.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by KPop Demon Hunters. It was a layered and complex emotional journey about your place in the world and identity. It also features some pretty damn catchy tunes and some stellar animation work. Certainly recommended!
