Light spoilers for “KPop Demon Hunters” ahead
“KPop Demon Hunters,” a musical fantasy film from Sony Animation, was released to global Netflix audiences on June 20, earning over $19.2 million during its first two days. The film’s rapid success was followed by a singalong version released in United States and Canadian theaters on Aug. 23. The musical urban fantasy film follows world-renowned K-pop girl group HUNTR/X — Rumi, Mira and Zoey — whose secret job involves hunting demons with their songs to sustain the Honmoon, a magical barrier sealing away the demon king Gwi-ma. However, when member Rumi’s half-demon heritage is revealed, she begins to reconcile with her identity with the help of Jinu, leader of the rival demon band the Saja Boys.
The movie immediately captivates viewers through its phenomenal animation. Its quality is undeniable, with beautiful scenery, smooth body movements and seamless transitions. It doesn’t matter if the characters are dancing and singing their hearts out or having an epic fight against crowds of demons — the animation always looks easy on the eye. Furthermore, each character’s design is distinctive, bringing out each member’s unique style. Their recognizable silhouettes and stand-out traits — Rumi with a long purple braid, Mira with bright pink hair and foxy eyes and Zoe with space buns — makes the members instantly recognizable and helps their personality shine through.
In addition to stellar animation, “KPop Demon Hunters” also includes meaningful cultural representation. From traditional Korean attire to detailed demonology, it’s evident that the writing team was thorough with their research to maintain cultural accuracy. Historical scenes are authentic with their portrayals of traditional Korean architecture and clothing, and even the weapons that the protagonists use hold historical significance.
With multiple songs dominating global music charts, there’s no doubt that the film’s soundtrack, featuring songs reminiscent of K-pop’s most iconic hits, is exceptional. Tracks like “How It’s Done” and “Soda Pop” are upbeat and catchy, helping to further draw in viewers. “Golden,” a standout track from the film, is especially spectacular — Ejae, who is the singing voice of Rumi, showcases some impressive high notes while sustaining a clear and stable lower register. Singers like Audrey Nuna (Mira), Rei Ami (Zoey) and Andrew Choi (Jinu) also demonstrate impressive technique and emotion in their delivery, whether it be through Nuna’s soulful vocals, Ami’s unique tone and rapping skills or Cho’s resonant depth.
Unfortunately, no amount of phenomenal animation and singing can save the characterization of the main cast, which is disastrously underdeveloped. Although Rumi, Mira and Zoey are all supposedly the main characters as members of HUNTR/X, Mira and Zoey are often left in the dust in the film’s storytelling and songs. The focus on Rumi leaves viewers with virtually no insight on Mira and Zoey’s personalities and backgrounds, despite their importance as main characters to the plot. And as for Rumi’s romantic interest, Jinu is portrayed as a bland, stereotypical male lead with a nonsensical backstory regarding his family and his path to becoming a demon — one riddled with inconsistencies, unrelatable motivations and plot holes in the story’s own logic — which made understanding and empathizing with his internal conflicts extremely difficult.
Rumi and Jinu also suffer from a badly crafted romance, which feels forced and overly rushed. In one of their secret meetings, Rumi and Jinu randomly break out into the song “Free,” which feels shoehorned in for the sake of manufacturing closeness. “Free” offers heartfelt lyrics such as “Here with you, I can finally breathe / Why does it feel right every time I let you in,” which all suggest a soulmate-like relationship between the two characters. However, because Rumi and Jinu are never truly given a chance to build a genuine relationship, the song, though musically gorgeous, feels unearned. Attempts at romance between the other members of HUNTR/X and the Saja Boys — such as Mira, Abby and Romance’s supposed love triangle and Zoey’s romantic tension with Mystery — are also undeveloped and even feel gimmicky, especially since the bandmates themselves have little to no characterization either.
Aside from sloppy romance, Rumi, Mira and Zoey aren’t even given a proper resolution at the end of the story. When Rumi’s demon blood is revealed, Mira and Zoey are ready to turn against her. Yet, before they even get the chance to communicate properly, they instantly forgive Rumi to fight Gwi-ma together in the climactic battle. The lack of communication between the main characters is frustrating and off-putting. The film simply has too many characters and unexplained backstories, leading to scenes with more emotional or plot-weight being cut short. The innovative concept of the film would’ve been more effective as a longer movie or animated series, lending more time to the plot and character development.
“KPop Demon Hunters” started strong with an attention-grabbing concept, interesting bits of Korean culture and chart-climbing music. However, the film’s flat characters and underwhelming plot ultimately makes it just another surface-level mainstream film. As of now, there can only be hope that the sequel, KPop Demon Hunters 2, can patch some unanswered questions. Without a full story, the film is all chorus and no verse.
Rating: 2.5/5
