KPop Demon Hunters Review: An Irreverently Fun and Visually Dazzling Animation

KPop Demon Hunters delivers exactly what the title suggests: a trio of a K-pop girl group who also moonlight as demon hunters. Such a combo may sound outlandish, but that’s the unique charm of this animated musical fantasy from Sony Pictures Animation. Not to mention, this isn’t the first time that we see music and fighting evil collide with movies like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and, to a certain extent, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension come to mind.

Co-directed by Wish Dragon‘s Chris Appelhans and newcomer Maggie Kang, the movie gets off to a fascinating and colourful start as we learn how the K-pop girl group Huntrix including Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong) and Zoey (Yoo Ji-Young) who are sworn to protect humanity from the soul-sucking demons. They use the power of music — K-pop music, to be exact — that connects the people to create a unique force field known as the Honmoon. Think of it as a shield to keep the demons at bay.

But the demons led by the sinister Gwi-Ma (Lee Byun-Hun) refuse to give up. To penetrate the human world, Gwi-Ma summons a group of demonic boy band called the Saja Boys to challenge the Huntrix. Not surprisingly, we get a K-pop boy band that is impossibly cute and handsome and even made the Huntrix swoon over them.

Appelhans and Kang have a field day poking fun at the K-pop in general and the K-drama tropes. The latter is especially true when Rumi and the coolly charismatic Jinu (Ahn Hyo-Seop) first encounter each other. The movie’s sense of exuberant fun and bouncy energy, complete with plenty of infectiously catchy K-pop songs from Huntrix and Saja Boys, hit all the right notes. Then, there’s the stunning animation, regardless of the beautiful character designs, to the visual background.

The fight sequences are both fluid and thrillingly well-choreographed, while the voice cast is top-notch. The Huntrix consists of distinct characters: Rumi is a confident but conflicted leader of the group, who has been harbouring a secret since childhood. Mira is more of a feisty and snarky dancer, while Zoey comes across as a chirpy rapper. Their chemistry is just undeniable.

Then comes the second half as Appelhans and Kang try to raise the stakes by pivoting to a more dramatic stretch. The plot thickens when Rumi finds herself falling for Jinu, and to make things worse, Jinu knows her secret. A secret that leads to a metaphor-heavy message about acceptance and inclusivity, which is rather heavy-handed in its execution. The movie also tries to explore the forbidden romance between Rumi and Jinu, but somehow, it lacks the much-needed emotional weight to make me care about their fate at the end of the day.

Frankly, I wish Appelhans and Kang had embraced the irreverent charm that makes the first half such a blast to watch. Their decision to shift the tone into something serious and heartfelt may have been ambitious but heavily flawed. As KPop Demon Hunters culminates in a surprisingly underwhelming third act during a final showdown against Gwi-Ma, especially given all the promises earlier, it’s a pity that Appelhans and Kang miss the opportunity to end their movie on a high note.

Still, even with the cumbersome narrative halfway through, KPop Demon Hunters manages to offset most of its shortcomings with a fun and dazzling showcase of distinctly vibrant animation, cool visuals and great voice acting all around. Remember to stick around longer to listen to Twice’s “Takedown” during the end credits, especially if you are a K-pop fan.

KPop Demon Hunters is currently streaming on Netflix.