If you're going to create an animated movie that also happens to make use of a current popular fad (and I know that is absolutely the wrong turn of phrase, I am just emphasising how the mainstream popularity of k-pop has really exploded in recent years) then you could do a hell of a lot worse than KPop Demon Hunters. I started to notice this when it was first released a couple of months ago, but I resisted the pull of it until my movie-centric FOMO seized hold of me.
Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) are the three members of Huntr/x, a hugely successful female K-pop group. They are the latest in a long line of singers who do more than just entertain the masses. Their voices and songs help to create, and maintain, a barrier between our world and a world of demons. Tired of constantly failing, the demons come up with a revolutionary plan to present their own K-pop band, one headed up by the handsome and charming Jinu (Ahn Hyo-seop).
Written by a handful of people, including co-directors Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang, this is a stylish animation that has some fun action sequences, a lot of very enjoyable gags, and, well, a couple of songs in the soundtrack that are absolute pop-tastic bangers. Have I started playing these tunes on regular rotation in my home yet? No, but it's absolutely going to happen. It overdoes the standard gag of something being said before a hard cut to the exact opposite of what has just been stated, but it's otherwise a great mix of cute, cool, funny, and emotional. At least one main character has a secret they're withholding from others, which allows for the film to explore self-acceptance and trust, as well as teaching a lesson about not being defined by others who want to keep you as only one limited version of yourself.
Cho, Hong, and Yoo are fantastic in their main roles, Hyo-seop is equally good, and there's strong support from Ken Jeong and Lee Byung-hun, playing what could be referred to as two very different kinds of "handlers". Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim also join in with the fun. It's good to have these names on the credit list, but it's just a nice bonus tucked away beneath the great visuals and music.
Managing to cover an impressive range of emotion without over-complicating things, KPop Demon Hunters is guaranteed to entertain those in the target demographic, and some people who just enjoy a well-made bit of animation. I was going to specify that it would work best for younger viewers, but have to take into consideration how much I, as a middle-aged/old man, ended up loving it.
Even if you're wary, like I was, of dipping a toe into the K-pop waters, this is likely to win you over. It has memorable characters, a solid main narrative, and those catchy main tunes. I'm going to cave in now and listen to the soundtrack on Spotify, although I know that will lead to me eventually refusing recommendations when the algorithm tries to get me listening to the likes of BTS and BLACKPINK.
8/10
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