KPop Demon Hunters

When your 13-year-old starts humming the soundtrack before the credits roll and your 11-year-old immediately asks "Can we watch it again?", you know an animated film has struck gold... even if that gold comes with some familiar copper underneath.

*** I have to, have to, have to... UPDATE this review here (rest all is original) I had to sit through this movie a second time! Because my daughter wanted a rewatch! And TBH I didn't hate it either ***

Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans' KPop Demon Hunters is genuinely delightful visual candy that marries supernatural action with infectious pop sensibilities.

The genre-bending animated film borrows from pop music and action cinema, creating something unexpectedly charming. Sony Pictures Animation continues their innovation streak with gorgeous visuals that make every demon-slaying sequence pop like a music video, whilst the soundtrack absolutely slaps... proper earworm material.

The film's greatest strength lies in its sincere embrace of K-pop culture without descending into parody. It's endearing, beautifully animated crowdpleaser, with a dorkily sincere love for the pop culture phenomena it embeds itself in. However, beneath the stunning animation lies a disappointingly predictable story that feels like we've seen this particular "misfit teens save the world" template countless times before.

The fighting is not horrible but is bad, and the action sequences, whilst visually spectacular, lack genuine tension or stakes. It's humorously subversive and a funny but brutal commentary on its own industry, which adds clever meta-commentary that adults will appreciate.

Who'll Love This: K-pop fans, animation enthusiasts, families wanting something fresh, and anyone who enjoyed Spider-Verse's visual innovation.

My kids were absolutely transfixed: the 13-year-old appreciated the meta-commentary whilst the younger one was purely there for the demon-slaying spectacle. Teen girls will worship at its altar.

Rating: 7/10 (Gorgeous spectacle that prioritises style over substance, but what magnificent style it is) Probably 8/10 for my kids.

This was AMAZING! I watched it out of curiosity more than anything and I ended up loving it! It is such a refreshing theme and concept. A bit like modern day girl power. Also reminded me at times of the powerpuff girls!

I don't really know or follow anything about KPop but this seems rammed full with K-pop culture references. Almost like a beginners guide.

The music is classic K-Pop though.

I just loved it. Probably not the most helpful review. But I really enjoyed so many aspects. The storyline, character development, relationship dynamics, the music, the production design... all of it!

I loved each individual female character as well.

Will definitely watch it again!

This was a fun ride. There's a lot of moments where I was laughing because of the references they put in it. The animation style reminds me a little of a fluid stop motion? It looks good especially paired with the action and all that bright coloring it was very nice and not too flashy in the eyes.

The highlight for me would be the music. All the music in this got my head banging too definitely saving it on my playlist. The lyrics have depth and it works well woven into the plot especially the bigger numbers. The voice actors and singer they hired for this fit nicely the only issue I had was sometimes it's too soft whenever they talk but too loud whenever they sing... there are moments also where in the animation expression didn't quite merge well with the voice acting. I also rewatched this in Filipino dub and was surprised to hear them also dub the music!! Listening to the songs in my native language felt good.

Overall it's a good wholesome movie that teaches you to accept yourself even if you're not perfect, get broken or make mistakes. A big plus as well for enemies to lovers trope. I'm always a sucker for it. It made me laugh but also made me cry. I wish so much for a sequel.

I'm more of an animation fan than a kpoper, so KPop Demon Hunters was offering a fresh idea, but I was not prepared.

The colors are gorgeous. The constant pallette choice of cold colors are pleasing in the eyes and well-coordinated, it's breathtaking. Fluid movements during fights, Sony nailed it over and over.

Albeit story-wise is formulaic, the casts are wonderful and easily loveable. Jinu has the most generic looking facial feature for a character but his personality definitely sells his character, I love him. The trio is an icon, they are all different in their own ways and it's what made their interactions very enjoyable!

Last but not least, the tracks. Banger. It gave me chills, especially the last to close up the story. I'm not familiar with KPop songs, so this is all very new to me, but the tracks in this movie definitely hook me up, and I now see the appeal of KPop songs. Brb while I binge the tracks.

It's like... Actually good? Like... Unironically? I did not expect that.

I totally thought this would be some trash trying to milk the KPop culture/fandom, but... I mean, it is that, no mistake about that, but it's not just a cash-grab. The story, if you think about it, is kind of simplistic and predictable, but I do not think it was aiming for something complex. It's a fairy tale. You know, like Snow White? What makes it stand out is the delivery.

The music is good. I am not a fan of KPop, aside maybe a couple of songs, and I can remember only one of them (I'm a Pop), but the songs sounded good to my ears with just a few moments sounding a bit off. Not as in "off-tune", but as in "do not fit" either overall song structure or what's happening on screen. Those are nitpicks, though. Totally not like Snow White.

Animation is great, the style overall. I really like that it's not taking itself or the pop culture too seriously, and expresses it through the goofy animations. But they are not just for giggles: they paint human (and humane) characters. Female characters, Disney, take note! The girls can kick some ass, they like to goof about, when they can, but at the same time, they do have their troubles (especially Rumi), and they overcome them together and go pursue their passions in order to give to the world.

Will this movie change the world as original Snow White did? Probably not. We live in a different world now, after all. But what it does is deliver a light-hearted and full-hearted story, which also delivers proper satisfaction when it ends, and may even inspire some kids. Because the movie shows good traits (and perseverance) and not just talks about them. I would even give it 9/10, docking 1 point only because I would have preferred a more fleshed-out story, if possible.