In all my years of writing, I have had no problem making enemies with my reviews. I’ve certainly pissed off plenty of fandoms with my opinions of Marvel, Star Wars (frankly anything Disney really), and oftentimes going against the popular consensus. I don’t do this to be antagonistic, mind you. I just try to be as honest as possible when I write something, and if it’s an unpopular opinion, then so be it. I won’t lose sleep over it, and at least I was honest. That being said, if there’s one fandom I will never, EVER, intentionally try to piss off, it’s the KPop stans. That’s a death wish waiting to happen, and for a time, I thought I would have to run in fear if I gave Kpop Demon Hunters a negative review.
Just by hearing the gist of it, you would probably assume it exists solely to ride the high that Kpop is currently having in pop culture. I mean, the movie is about a Kpop group performing by day and slaying demons by night. That just sounds like a knock-off magical girl show, but with a distinctly Korean flair. And yet, I’ve been cautiously optimistic towards it in recent weeks, mostly because this is the latest animated film by Sony, and the last time they put out an animated film it was one of the best films of the decade. At the very least, KPop Demon Hunters deserved the benefit of the doubt solely because of their animation, and the plot will hopefully be at least passable.
Well, through some divine act, not only is KPop Demon Hunters actually a good movie, but it has a genuine chance of being one of my favorite movies of the year.
Kpop Demon Hunters
Director: Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhaus
Release Date: June 20, 2025 (Netflix)
Rating: PG
In the world of Kpop Demon Hunters, demons have preyed on humans for countless generations, and each time, they’re defeated by a trio of women. These women all specialize in singing, and through their magical voices, erect a barrier called the Honmoon, which, when perfected, will completely eradicate demon kind. Until then, there will always be a trio of women, and in the modern era, that trio is a pop group called Huntr/x, which consists of Rumi (Arden Cho), the daughter of a previous hunter, Mira (May Hong), a stern but chill singer, and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), a spry and energetic rapper. Right before they’re able to perfect the Honmoon, the demon king sends to Earth his last resort in obliterating the demon hunters – a demon boy band called the Saja Boys. All five of the Saja Boys are powerful (and hot) demons, leading to a battle not only for the fate of the world, but also over which band is superior.
I can’t speak to the authenticity of Kpop and how it’s shown in Kpop Demon Hunters, but one thing I can definitely say is that this movie is stylish. The colors are bright and vibrant, and always manage to keep you glued to the screen. The fight choreography, as well as the dance choreography, is slick as hell, and there’s a precision here that feels reminiscent of any ultra-polished musician. If you’ve ever been to a concert that had a lot of dancing in it and fast-paced music, then you’ll be right at home in the film’s musical numbers.
And yes, KPop Demon Hunters is a musical with many songs, each polished to a mirror shine. It says a lot about the strength of the soundtrack that I can’t really say there are any bad songs. Are there songs I’m not a big fan of? Sure, but I would have no problem listening to them again if they ever popped up on my Spotify playlist. Plus, this is coming from someone who doesn’t listen to pop music whatsoever. Damn it, I can’t help but nod my head along and hum to some of the tracks! Plus, I find it thematically brilliant that the evil demon boy band introduce themselves singing one of the most insidiously catchy songs I’ve heard in a long time. Nothing makes me hate a villain more than them having an aggressively catchy earworm.
Copyright: Netflix
Music is undeniably a big focus of Kpop Demon Hunters, and a part of me finds a lot of similarities between this movie and Sinners of all things. Sure, they’re tonally completely different, but the core idea of music being a multigenerational tool to unite people together is present in both, as well as the supernatural elements. In fact, I think that Kpop Demon Hunters arguably mixes those ideas better simply because it’s more clearly woven into the premise as opposed to the sudden shift midway through Sinners from a music-centered drama to a vampire horror film. That being said, I find that Sinners handles its examination of black culture far better than Kpop Demon Hunters’ look at Korean culture, which does show a lot of love for it, but feels surface-level. Yes, the movie is supposed to be about Kpop, but you could swap it out with any genre of music, and it probably would have had the same effect.
Representation aside, the characters themselves are still a lot of fun. The core trio of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey is bursting with energy and matches that with a lot of great expressions. In general, the animation is solid, but it’s at its best when the characters are emoting and allowed to be just a little bit goofy. I question whether introducing us to them with their extremely goofy faces while chowing down on sushi is the best first impression, but I had to same reservations for The Mitchells vs. The Machines, and that turned into my favorite movie of 2021. This is a Sony production after all, and between this, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, and the Spider-verse films, I can safely say that they’re now the leading force behind cutting-edge and gorgeous animation.
An animated movie is more than just its animation though, and as far as the actual narrative of Kpop Demon Hunters goes, it’s perfectly okay. There’s some fun banter between Huntr/x and the Saja Boys that perks up the middle of the movie, but outside of their ringleader, the rest of them are sorely underdeveloped. They play up expected boyband tropes, which you can argue is a commentary on the music industry and how record labels don’t care about people and only care about image, but I would argue that they’re still nothing characters who are sorely lacking in any definable personality. The heroes are great, but if the villains were just as cool or interesting as Huntr/x, then we could have had a truly outstanding cast.
Copyright: Netflix
Make no mistake though – Kpop Demon Hunters is great. I know that social media presence hardly factors into my enjoyment of a movie, but I’ve been seeing nothing but adoration for this film online. The soundtrack is filled with several gems, the animation is great, and the humor and heart of the film is present in every scene. It may lack a little bit in the substance department at times, but that’s easily excusable when the style is this strong. I had very few hopes for this film when it was first announced years ago, but now I’m pretty sure that this is going to be one of the sleeper hits of the summer that you shouldn’t miss.
