Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix are collaborating to bring you KPop Demon Hunters, a brand new animated musical action fantasy comedy title that’s exclusively streaming on Netflix. The film follows a K-pop girl group called Huntrix that has a secret identity as demon hunters as they take on a rival boy group made up of soul-stealing demons. Featuring vocal performances from Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong, Ji-young Yoo, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Ken Jeong, and Byung-hun Lee, Kpop Demon Hunters looks to steal your heart (and maybe even your soul?) with its original and heartfelt music, humor, and message.
The Gist: For hundreds of years, a select trio of women called Hunters have been chosen each generation to fight demons. Using the power of their voices, the Hunters created and upheld a shield called the Honmoon to keep demons and their evil king Gwi-Ma (Byung-hun Lee), from stealing human souls. All of their work has been in pursuit of fulfilling the ultimate duty: creating the Golden Honmoon, which is a barrier so powerful and impermeable that it can keep Gwi-Ma and his demonic forces out of the human world forever.
The current generation’s Hunters are a K-pop trio called Huntrix, who maintain a busy schedule between dominating the global music scene and eliminating any supernatural threats that dare to attack their beloved fanbase. Huntrix is made up of badass Visual and Lead Dancer Mira (May Hong), bubbly Rapper and lyricist Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), and vocally-gifted Leader Rumi (Arden Cho). Between living, performing, and fighting together, the girls share a close bond that makes them as close as family, something that feels especially true for Rumi, who had to be raised and trained by Huntrix’s former manager, Celine (Yunjin Kim), after her mother died while Rumi was just an infant.
It seems as though Huntrix is on top of the world, especially as they gear up to promote their new single “Golden,” which they believe could be the one to create the long-sought-after Golden Honmoon and save humanity’s souls for good. But just as they release the song, Rumi suddenly loses her voice, much to the confusion and stress of her bandmates and their current manager, Bobby (Ken Jeong). The true reason behind Rumi’s sudden vocal trouble is a secret that only she and Celine know: Rumi’s father was a demon, making her half of the monster that she was born and raised to kill. With time, the demonic markings Rumi was born with have only continued to spread until they reached her throat, affecting her voice. As she buries this shame and fear from her friends and fans at Celine’s insistence, Rumi hopes that by creating the Golden Honmoon, her demon parts and markings will be banished for good, fueling her desperation to push “Golden” and banish demons as soon as possible.
But Huntrix soon hits an unforeseen and major obstacle in a brand new boy band called the Saja Boys, a group of five devilishly handsome and talented demons who have been commanded by Gwi-Ma to destroy the Hunters once and for all. The Saja Boys are led by Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop), a complicated figure who lived as a human 400 years ago before trading his soul for a renowned singing voice and a life of luxury that left the rest of his family destitute and himself eventually as a demon under Gwi-Ma’s command. With him as the frontman, the Saja Boys make quite a splash and begin to poach Huntrix’s fanbase in hopes of eventually stealing their souls to fuel Gwi-Ma into an unstoppable force.
Although Huntrix dedicates itself to doing whatever it takes to stop the boy group, Rumi and Jinu find unexpected common ground in their demonic background, as well as the shame that this demonhood evokes. The closer Rumi grows to Jinu, the more torn she feels between the different sides of herself and the truths she has been forced to bury, pushing the Hunters to the brink of ruin and putting humanity in jeopardy as a result. Can Huntrix’s music save the world, or will the chillingly charming K-pop boys steal their fans’ hearts and souls before it’s too late?
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Kpop Demon Hunters might remind viewers of the musical and supernatural aspects of the 2024 animated film Spellbound, the entertaining demon-killer girl parts of the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and movies that revolve around a supportive trio of kickbutt ladies, like The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Totally Spies! The Movie, or Charlie’s Angels.
Performance Worth Watching: Arden Cho does a wonderful job carrying Kpop Demon Hunters as Huntrix’s leader, Rumi, a performance further bolstered by her powerful singing voice.
Ji-young Yoo and May Hong are also stand-outs as the other members of Huntrix, and all of them combine with Ken Jeong to interject heartfelt performances as well as plenty of laugh lines or comic relief just through their voices alone.
Memorable Dialogue: While there are many entertaining lines and exchanges to choose from, a few stand out. The first is an early description of Mira: “Apparently, she was the black sheep of her family. “I don’t know why, because she’s so cool. Who else could wear a sleeping bag to the Met Gala?”
Another quote that got a laugh out of me was when the movie very accurately spoofs the kind of borderline silly script that hosts often have (and then dramatically deliver) in many a Korean competition program: “Two bands, one award. Every snowflake is special, but one snowflake is probably the best. Who will be the top of the mountain? Fans from around the universe will decide.”
There were even more lines we could choose from, but you’ll probably just have to watch to catch them all for yourself.
Sex and Skin: None.
Our Take: KPop Demon Hunters knows exactly what it is and what it’s trying to do, which makes it easy to get swept up in its world. The film is a joke-filled, yet affectionate, homage to all things K-pop, K-drama, and K-culture as it utilizes lingo, references, and tropes that fans of these fields are sure to enjoy. From dumb, campy, and unserious gags and humor like K-drama style slo-mo shots and the more ridiculous sides of stan culture (for example, how quick some of the so-called diehard Huntrix fans are willing to switch to supporting the Saja Boys when the latter starts blowing up), KPop Demon Hunters establishes an early pattern of self-awareness, humor, and entertainment.
However, this movie’s charm isn’t merely surface-level. KPop Demon Hunters is immediately eye-catching due to its vibrant and visually appealing animation, and it’s further enhanced by genuinely catchy music, a sharp script, and strong vocal performances across the board. Little details like the group name Saja Boys, which is perhaps a reference to Korean folklore’s “jeoseung saja” or the grim reaper that is said to guide the souls of the dead, are additional proof of the movie’s thoughtful worldbuilding and attention to detail.
Perhaps the best part of all is how KPop Demon Hunters manages to strike the perfect balance between silly and sincere, tempering its many loud-of-loud moments with sincere, emotionally resonant core messages about embracing our true selves, even in the midst of shame and guilt. This movie reminds us that no matter who we are, we all have our demons, but suppressing them or letting them completely consume us will only lead to more pain. It is in making peace with our mistakes and imperfections that we can find our true voice and make a difference, even if that means you have to destroy a devilishly handsome boy band with great abs in the process… Okay, maybe not the last part, but you get what I mean. KPop Demon Hunters has a little bit of something for everyone to appreciate and enjoy.
Our Call: KPop Demon Hunters is a unique movie that’s more than it initially appears to be on the surface. Between its strong performances, solid humor, striking visuals, engrossing story, and toe-tapping tunes, this title offers something for viewers of all ages and should prove to be well worth your time and attention. Head to Netflix now and STREAM IT!