K-pop has become such a global music phenomenon that it’s a wonder its groups haven’t been tapped to star in more Hollywood movies. Netflix has somewhat rectified that with their animated musical that has seemingly come out of nowhere to become one of its most popular offerings ever (take that, Adam Sandler).
It’s not hard to see why. KPop Demon Hunters delivers not only a cornucopia of earworms whose melodies will be lingering in your brain for weeks, but also a fast and funny genre mash-up that puts most theatrical animated releases to shame. Considering that the accompanying soundtrack album has been conquering the charts as well, sequels are all but inevitable.
KPop Demon Hunters
The Bottom Line
As fun as it was inevitable.
Release date: Friday, June 20 (Netflix)
Cast: Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Liza Koshy, Joel Kim Booster, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, Lee Byung-hun
Directors: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans
Screenwriters: Maggie Kang, Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Chris Appelhans
Rated PG,
1 hour 35 minutes
The titular heroes are the superstar girl group Huntr/x (be advised that’s the last time I’ll be typing that name), consisting of Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zooey (Ji-young Yoo). We’re introduced to them as they’re traveling on their private plane and preparing for a concert by gorging themselves on ramen. Unfortunately for them, the entire crew happen to be demons, so the singers quickly whip themselves into action, dispatching them to the rollicking tune “How It’s Done.”
The group, you see, is the latest in a long line of female pop music trios whose role, besides entertaining the masses, is to maintain and strengthen the Honmoon, a magical barrier that prevents otherworldly monsters from doing their worst. Rumi’s bandmates are unaware that she is a half-demon herself, something known only to their manager Celine (Yunjin Kim).
The leader of the demons, Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun, Squid Game), is understandably frustrated by his singing opposition. So he readily accepts the suggestion of Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), one of his minions, that he form a boy band to counteract the girl group’s popularity and steal their fans, not to mention their souls. The resulting five-member group, the Saja Boys, are so hunky that when the girls first see them, they react in typically cartoonish over-the-top fashion, their eyes transforming into everything from hearts to six-pack abs. (Parents looking for confirmation that boy bands are secretly evil will finally have proof.)
Jinu, who has a tragic past as a human, recognizes that Rumi is half-demon, but keeps the secret to himself. He forms an alliance with her to sabotage the Saja Boys so he can remain in the human world, but complications inevitably ensue.
Got all that? It doesn’t really matter, since the film, co-directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, bursts with so much visual and musical energy that you won’t feel the need to follow the intricacies of the plot. Rather, you can simply enjoy the infectious tunes (including “Golden,” “Takedown,” “Your Idol,” and “Soda Pop”) that will certify your K-pop credentials beyond Blackpink and BTS — as well as the dazzling CG animation, incorporating a variety of styles including manga and anime, that proves particularly effective in frenetically paced combat and dance sequences. A Sony Pictures Animation production, KPop Demon Hunter’s visuals frequently recall the company’s massively successful Spider-Verse films, albeit with a significantly broader style when it comes to the characters.
The voice performances are consistently engaging, with veteran actors Daniel Dae Kim and Ken Jeong lending their talents and the singing provided by such musical pros as Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Disney mainstay Lea Salonga (Aladdin, Mulan). Best of all, the brisk proceedings clock in at a brief 95 minutes including credits, in contrast to such bloated animated efforts as Ne Zha 2.