'KPop Demon Hunters' Review- Cute And Fun
Kpop stars fight demons.
KPop Demon Hunters is a musical animated film from Sony Pictures Animation. It is the directorial debut of Maggie Kang, who co-directed it with Chris Appelhans. The film was released on Netflix.
Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) are a girl Kpop band called Huntrix with a secret. They hunt demons, slaying them. They also use their music to keep up a barrier between Earth and the Demon World. A demon called Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop) suggests to the Demon King Gwi-Ma (Byung-hun Lee) that they form their own band, the Saja Boys. The girls find themselves in a conundrum, especially when Jinu learns a secret about Rumi.
Sony does a great job with the animation. I especially thought the creative choices for the character designs looked very cool and sleek. Not to mention, it had a great vibe to it and made it move very smoothly for action scenes.
There were a few issues with the lore. Like, how often do they have to sing to maintain the barrier? Why do demon minions slip through, but not the Demon King? I wish they had explained that a bit better and answered a few more of those questions.
Outside of that, this was a cute and fun movie. If you have a kid who enjoys K-pop music or just likes musicals, this is a good choice. The trio of gals is not boring girlbosses, but actual characters with hopes, weaknesses, dreams, and skills that matter in the long run. They are cute and genuinely charming characters who want to stop evil from conquering the world.
That was something cool about it. Yes, the girls are superheroes, but they are not woke girlbosses. They are portrayed as real people who have real vulnerabilities. That was a nice change of pace.
I also really enjoyed the music. They had real Kpop stars perform the music for both Huntrix and the Saja Boys. It gave the soundtrack a genuine feel and made it enjoyable. You can tell they wanted to capture the essence and pay homage, which they did. They had some songs on it that were lit.
It is clear to me that this movie is about the K-pop industry. Huntrix represents the indie band that cares about the fans. The Saja Boys are a boy band controlled by the musical label. The Demon King is the record producer who wants to take the spotlight. It is obvious, but it still makes for something entertaining.
Bottom line, KPop Demon Hunters is a cute and fun adventure. It gives us a glimpse into the world of the K-pop industry, and it is sobering.
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Violence, Some frightening images
FAVORITE QUOTE: They’re stealing the souls of our fans?
Check out the trailer below:
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review.