The culmination of some thirty years of a cultural exportation boom that has come to be known as the Korean Wave is KPop Demon Hunters. After all the ubiquity of KPop bands and K-dramas, Parasite winning at the Oscars, and Squid Game at the Emmys, Korean culture has so cemented itself internationally that Korea doesn’t even need to be involved anymore. KPop Demon Hunters is an American movie, produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, conceived and directed by Korean-Canadian Maggie Kang, and featuring a cast of American and Canadian actors and singers of the Korean diaspora (with the notable exception of Lee Byung-hun as the film’s primary villain). And yet despite a lack of production connection to South Korea, it has enjoyed as much if not more popularity than other products of the Korean Wave. A significant statement on how encompassing Korean cultural trends and aesthetics have become within other popular cultures worldwide.
KPop Demon Hunters is a tremendously interesting movie for this reason more than anything that is actually in the movie itself, though much of that is perfectly good on its own terms. Certainly, it is an incredibly savvy movie in its production and marketing, and the tenor of talent it attracted -particularly for the musical components, easily its most lucrative asset. Watching the movie you can feel a certain cynicism in its creation, but that isn’t always indicative of a bad thing.
Entirely set in Korea, the movie follows a successful KPop Girl Group called Huntrix -consisting of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey- who are secretly the latest in a long line of demon hunter trios tasked with fending off the soul-feeding immortals and maintaining a spiritual barrier called the Honmoon through song, which will one day be powerful enough to permanently lock the demons away. However within this incarnation, Rumi happens to be half-demon herself, a fact that is manifested in carefully concealed patterns on her skin. Because of this she is especially desperate to complete the Honmoon -believing it will cleanse her of her demonic traits. As the group is prepping their big new single though, a rival boy band emerges -the Saja Boys- comprised of demons looking to undermine Huntrix.
The design of the characters and their wider world is very striking, bearing that same confluence of 2D and 3D attributes as other Sony animated movies like The Mitchells vs. the Machines and the Spider-Verse films, but with artistic choices in expression far more evocative of anime, both in images of elegance and moments of wild cartoonish swings. It doesn’t rest on the latter though for its humour, which is smart -part of a general tendency within this world to be visually bombastic but not too outrageous. Like with real KPop acts (or even western pop acts from about a generation ago), the distinct look of each character is emphasized -even if only a couple are really developed; and there’s some particular visual fun had with the supernatural elements. Though the demon king Gwi-ma is somewhat dull in his minimalism, Rumi and chief rival/platonic love interest Jinu certainly are not.
These are also the two characters who are the most interesting to follow. Broadly the film’s premise, for as bizarre as it sounds, is rather mundane (it is essentially Buffy the Vampire Slayer transposed against the backdrop of KPop), but the complex feelings around Rumi’s demon heritage and Jinu’s late-appearing shameful backstory are fairly compelling character threads, with Rumi’s specifically connecting emotionally to broad themes of bitter self-hatred and hiding a part of oneself for fear of ostracization. And Rumi (along with supposedly Mira and Zoey) was conditioned into this mindset by her mentor -well-intentioned under the assumed context but nonetheless toxic to Rumi’s sense of self. The film explores the effects of that well, certainly on an emotional level making use of the visuals more than the script to emphasize her feelings of guilt and isolation, alongside a growing re-evaluation on her feelings towards demons, who are predictably seen to not be as inherently evil as the demon hunters have always believed. The movie doesn't quite delve into their world and perspective as much as is warranted, but the basic notion is relayed effectively enough if only through Jinu.
In the meantime, the other two members of Huntrix in the dark about Rumi, there aren't a lot of opportunities to examine the relationships between the band-mates except for their unity through song. They are complimentary by contrast -Mira is generally cool and deadpan to Zoe's youthful ebullience- but there is little to distinguish them otherwise. The trio are generally introduced as though they are already much-beloved characters in some long-running mythos. But what does give them a little personality at least is the voice acting. Arden Cho as Rumi, May Hong as Mira, and Ji-young Yoo as Zoe are all exemplary, creating a very organic and efficient chemistry. It is likewise replicated, though obviously with a little less freedom, in their musical counterparts -Ejae (Rumi), Audrey Nuna (Mira), and Rei Ami (Zoey)- who sing enough songs together here to effectively become their own KPop tribute act.
The movie definitely seems to treat them as such, providing them with authentic KPop-style songs to buffet the movie through several of its most significant beats. But unlike in some other movie musicals, the songs really are an integral part of the tone, and don't always function as mere storytelling device. That they have so quickly taken off and found a life independent of the film is indicative of this (there's no bizarre "We Don't Talk About Bruno" in these crossovers). They give the film its colour and character, and especially in the often fun animation energy of the song sequences that rarely lose focus. As the songs themselves go, "Golden" (primarily sung by Ejae, though later joined by her band-mates) is the obvious stand-out -an 'I Want' turned triumph number that is handily the best of the bunch. The climactic "This is What it Sounds Like" is the other one that leaves a strong impression, but the inaugural song, "How It's Done" -set against a battle on a private jet- is fun, as is "Takedown" which comes during a second act fight sequence. Just about all the rest are perfectly fine, with the exception of the obnoxious Saja Boys ear-worm "Soda Pop" -though it is clearly intended by the film to be a parody of the vapid and shallow bubblegum songs expected of boy bands.
Powered by these songs and the attractive animation, KPop Demon Hunters makes for an enjoyable time, if it is disappointingly thin in some areas. Certainly it is one of those movies done a disservice by the Netflix model -it's artistry and bombast demand the big screen and the communal experience. It is a movie rather shrewdly designed and exploited, not only tapping into a sizable pop cultural niche but bringing scores of new converts into the fold. Yet there is some degree of authenticity and genuine heart underpinning it, by virtue of the clear efforts of the animators, actors, and singers. Still the film is calculated emphatically to its audience, one greater than probably even Netflix and Sony assumed. Judging by its immense populist success, KPop Demon Hunters is only the start of an even starker role Korea and its diasporic influence will have on international culture; and it'll be curious to see what shape the Korean Invasion will take next.
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