Photo Credits: Nikki Victory
Just like Soda Pop, this movie is all I can think of. K-Pop Demon Hunters was released on June 20 and became an instant success. With the movie scoring a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, having its entire soundtrack in the Billboard Top 100, and beating Netflix’s top viewed movie, Red Notice, I knew I had to check it out.
As it stands, the movie has 291.5 million views, compared to Red Notice with 230.9 million views. In only three months, K-Pop Demon Hunters has surpassed Netflix’s most viewed movie that has been out for four years.
After its instantaneous success, Netflix decided to put their original film in select theaters for one weekend, marketed as a “sing-along” event. In the three days it was available in theaters, the film grossed $18 million.
I waited to watch the movie until it came to theaters, and I’m so glad I did. I was able to appreciate the visuals thanks to the large screen, and the sound design thanks to the enhanced surround sound.
Spoiler Free Summary:
We follow Mira, Zoey, and Rumi as demon hunters in a K-Pop girl group called Huntrix. Demons have always roamed the earth, stealing souls to feed their ruler, Gwi-Ma. Every generation, a new trio of demon hunters is chosen to use their voices, and weapons, to defeat the demons and instill hope and courage to all those around. The demon hunters created the “Honmoon,” which is a shield to protect the world from demons. If the demon hunters are able to make the Honmoon turn gold, they will trap all of the demons in the demon realm and protect the world from them forever. However, just as they’re getting close Rumi begins to lose her voice. Though she is a human, we find out that she has demon patterns, because her father was a demon and her mother was a demon hunter. Worried her friends won’t understand and accept her, she has chosen to hide her patterns with the hopes that they will go away upon sealing the Honmoon. As this is happening, we get a glance into the demon realm, where Jinu proposes fighting fire with fire to Gwi-Ma. Reluctantly, Gwi-Ma accepts, and five demons get together to form a new K-Pop boyband: the Saja Boys. The annual Idol Awards approach, which is where Huntrix strengthens the Honmoon for the entire year. Unfortunately, they run into the Saja Boys. As Huntrix tries to kill Saja, Rumi and Jinu start secretly meeting to create a plan. Rumi starts doubting everything she knows about demons. She has to figure out how to navigate sealing the Honmoon, defeating Saja, and her developing feelings for Jinu, while also hiding part of herself from her friends.
As someone who dabbles in the K-Pop community, this movie did a great job capturing the range of fans that groups can have. I also loved the forward and simple jokes. The attention to detail in every frame is a huge part of what makes me love this film.
The soundtrack instantly got added to my playlist. There was not a single flop. Though it may be controversial, I only ranked the songs that were actually performed in the movie. I don’t count “Strategy,” “Love Maybe,” “Path,” or “Score Suite.” I genuinely love every song, but if I had to choose a ranking, it would be as follows:
- Soda Pop
- What It Sounds Like
- Free
- Your Idol
- Golden
- Takedown
- How It’s Done
I have already watched the movie twice, and I know I will be watching it again in the future. I am not at all shocked that this surpassed Red Notice, honestly, I’m shocked it took so long. My final rating for this movie is an easy 10/10. I would recommend this to anyone, regardless of age.
