K-Pop Demon Hunters

K-Pop Demon Hunters
Starring Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo
Directed by Maggie Kang & Chris Appelhans

The world has been paying so much attention to Disney and their ebbs and flows when it comes to their animated movies that they practically ignore any other studio's projects. Sony Animation has had some stellar results, including an Oscar-winning movie ("Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"), and Oscar-nominated movies that should've won ("Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," "The Mitchells vs. The Machines"). They quietly produce some stellar outings (with notable exceptions, as all animation studios do), and now they released "K-Pop Demon Hunters" onto Netflix almost silently, but the movie has blown up and has become a strong Oscar contender all its own - and it is excellent.

For generations, demons have stalked and preyed on humans, taking their souls to their ruler Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun). Yet for every generation three women known as demon hunters have fought back the demons and sealed them away by creating a barrier called the Honmoon with their singing abilities. Now, the K-Pop group Huntr/x has taken the mantle - Rumi (Arden Cho), the lead vocalist who was orphaned at a young age; Mira (May Hong), the main dancer who has a chip on her shoulder; and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), the bubbly people-pleaser rapper of the group. Together they've held the demons at bay, and the Honmoon is about to be solidified so no demons will ever be able to enter their world again. To combat this, Gwi-Ma sends Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), a demon with a past, to stop them. He comes up with an idea: form a boy band and steal their fans, so they can feed on their souls. Their band - the Saja Boys - rocket up the charts and threaten the girls' fame, but Rumi has her own secrets that threaten to break up the band for good. Yet she also sees good in Jinu, and the two connect over their past pains in hopes that they can get over their pasts and save the world from the upcoming demon threat.

Sony Animation has taken numerous risks when it comes to their animation styling, and each risk has come with great reward. "K-Pop Demon Hunters" is no exception, as the film is a beautifully animated blend of computer animation mixed with webtoons and manhwa (Korean graphic novels) to emphasize dynamic silhouettes over smoother in-between movement. This adds a "pop" to the movie that visually stuns and sticks out in the most delightful ways, taking things we think we know about animation and crafting something visually awe-inspiring. 

The story itself is something you'd expect in a movie like this: demon hunters hunt demons, a demonic boy band rises and threatens their lives, they experience heartache and pain, secrets bubble to the surface, and characters are more three-dimensional than you'd expect. If it wasn't for the animation, the action, the comedy, and the performances then this movie would've been a cliche-ridden mess: fortunately, that's not the case here, as everything combines together to make a wonderful product.

There's so much to unpack in this movie it's hard to begin. Despite it being a PG family friendly movie, there's a lot of deep themes expressed (along with the fact that demons literally kill a lot of people, but are shown as them stealing their souls instead, otherwise this would've been a hard-R). The major theme is accepting who you are despite your past, which is something both Rumi and Jinu have to struggle with. If they don't, they'll let their past destroy them, and it's this internal struggle that many of us face on a daily basis. We keep the secrets of who we are from those around us, hoping that they'll never find out, but everything eventually comes to light. There's also the theme of the voices in our head that tell us we're not good enough, pretty enough, rich enough, whatever...the demons that whisper the lies that we believe. For a movie so light in animation the themes are incredibly dark and meaningful, leaving a longer lasting impact.

The music is also infectious and catchy, which was impressive because I was never into K-Pop before. The soundtrack is bumping with incredible songs like "Takedown," "How It's Done," "Golden," "Free" and "What it Sounds Like" that will be on your Spotify list immediately after the movie ends. The action is lavish, fast-paced, and simply stunning, especially the epic final battle. The voice performers also shine, especially Arden Cho as Rumi and Ahn Hyo-seop as Jinu, and their romantic comedy subplot is endearing as well as inspiring. 

There's really nothing negative I can say about this movie, as it moves at a fast clip, doesn't overstay its welcome, and offers catchy memorable songs, laugh-out-loud comedy, deep emotional themes, and monumental action sequences that proves Disney isn't the only animated juggernaut out there.

The Score: A+