Gearing up for a Takedown or is really it Golden?
I’m in a minority of people who heard the title of Kpop Demon Hunters and didn’t think it was a weird or silly title. In all honesty the initial concept of young ladies who fight demons and are also singers reminded me of a Japanese anime/video game/musical franchise which is similar but not the same. So I was initially endeared to this movie prior to seeing it even though I am not a fervent listener of Kpop.
But is Kpop Demon Hunters actually a good movie? Does it really deserve all the praise or is it just slop hiding behind a glossy poppy veneer finish???
The Plot/Premise
The title of Kpop Demon Hunters just lays the entire premise out there in the opening. The lead characters are demon hunters and Kpop idols. The two facets are integrals as the prologue of the movie also makes clear that that singing and capturing the hearts of and minds of people through songs is in tandem to defeating demons and saving then world.
While the core premise of pop idol fighting demons comes off as outlandish, especially in the west, the plot is tried and true as it’s a save the world narrative with interpersonal dynamics that make up the crux of the drama. It’s not so much the Huntrix has to fight the demon king to save the world it’s their inner-working along with how those dynamic impacts them as group which in turn impacts their ability to fight.
There is concept that Kpop idols groups that fight the demons, The Hunters of each generation, use soft power of music to combat the demons through the Honmoon which means “Soul Shield.” So they use their influence through music to power a shield to blocks demons’ entry into the world. Soft power is how how the demons fight back too by using a demon boy band to ensnare the fans thus weaken the Honmoon. This interplay between the music being a superpower that is key to stopping the demons forever as well also being skill fighters is very refreshing to see in any type of media.
The seemingly simple plot of good vs evil is great foundation to build all the character drama off of. Huntrix have sing to strength the shield thus defeating the demons but the dynamic between Rumi, Zoe and Mira make the plot more than feeling trite.
But also the entire crux of the narrative is one of self-acceptance and healing, fighting internal demons, ie shame, in addition to their saving the world.
Characters
Another facet of this movie that works very well are the characters. While some of the characters are less developed than the main characters, etc side characters have very clear well define traits . To be far some of the characters are akin to the Dwarfs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves as their names are their persona. The side characters might not have as much room to shine but they are still enjoyable and memorable. Personally Derpy is it.
The main characters would be Rumi, Mira, Zoey and Jinu. Of the four Rumi and Jinu are the most developed as their backstories and internal conflicts are given more focus. Mira’s and Zoey’s are hinted at but not to the extent as either Rumi’s and Jinu’s and there is still quite a lot more to Rumi’s story is isn’t told in the movie.
Rumi has to come to terms with her half-demon side that is also the enemy thus she has come to term with her own imperfections and flaws. This something that is more common in East Asian media. Especially is anime where there are a lot of main characters who are half-demons or have a contrasting duality to their self-concept.
One more highlight of the characters that has already been very much talk about is how multi-faceted they in their characterizations. Rumi, Mira, and Zoe are allowed to be depicted as cool, silly, vulnerable and powerful. They are so much more than what Disney is doing to some of their leading ladies. Even Jinu gets to be silly, cool, vulnerable, and charming. It’s just yet another refreshing element of this movie.
The Romantic Dynamic
As previous mentioned, Rumi and Jinu are the characters that are given the most development in the movie. They are connected through their “demon” sides. There is an enemy to maybe lovers dynamic to their story. They seemed to have been on route in that direction but it remains to be seen what it really means for Jinu to have given his soul to Rumi. Is he dead or was he a buff in their? I suppose a sequel COULD explore that.
Both Rumi and Jinu don’t exactly hit the same story beats as many typical romances. Their love story is cute flirting, understanding, healing and has a compelling redemption arc. Sure they don’t kiss but Jinu literally gives Rumi his soul how is that not even more Romantic? It’s very Romance.*
The Songs
Somewhere there is Disney CEO fuming. Kpop Demon Hunters did what did Disney has wanted to do for a long time, Domination of the Pop charts. Sure they have had some success at that with Frozen and Encanto but not at this scale, nothing has been to Kpop Demon Hunter’s scale.
All the songs in Kpop Demon Hunters suit the assignment of being songs for a musical, and being pop songs. And they are all really great and enjoyable songs.
Another interesting aspect of the songs in the movie is that majority of them are actual pop songs in the movie’s narrative. Even the songs that are more based in a musical narrative seem like they still being performed in real-time, ie “This what it Sounds Like” and “Jinu’s Lament.” The only songs that feels like it’s a musical when they just sings based on emotions becoming too string would be “Free.” Even “Golden” has Rumi’s non-diegetic part when she reveals her patterns, which in the content of the movie isn’t in Huntrix’s actual song since it’s not sung in the Idols Awards scene.
Animation
The animation falls into the newer style that blends 3D and 2D elements. Though it seems they pulled a bold and graphic look from anime. The medium and style ultimately suits the story and characters that even joking about a Live-action treatment sounds silly. It’s perfect just as it is.
The demons being animated on one frame per second didn’t bother me nor did I think it looked choppy. I do think it was a choice by animations.
An aspect of that falls under animation is the costumes. For an animated movie the characters have some different costumes and looks and you can really seen appreciate how detailed they got with render even the textures of the fabric, and right down details of the sequins. It’s just flawless. I appreciate that they went it for on the costumes in this movie, it’s rare when animated movies have multiple costume changes.
Flaws?
One negative is that Rumi’s conflict overshadows Mira’s and Zoey’s which are mention and hinted at but not as fleshed out. The two getting pushed out is more to do with the running time constraints of a kid’s movie. If one of the core flaws with the movie is that people wanted more it does seek to quality of the movie rather than it being boring or being too much. People just want more of Huntrix
The pacing is another aspect that gets mention frequently as a criticism. Some people have said it’s too fast. I personal didn’t have an issue but I can understand this piece of criticism. I think the pacing is very quick in the first and third act and slower in the second making the runtime feel more uneven than completely breakneck.
Another criticism that I don’t know if has been address is just the gravitas of the stakes of the demon’s taking souls and what that means in the world. Since this is a movie for children there isn’t much more exposition another than the opening and a few lines. The external threat is demon’s eating souls and gaining power for their king is explained but the demon eating souls and people disappearing doesn’t have a much weight to it other than it impacts Huntrix’s internal dynamic. People disappearing is basically glossed over (though this might be way to make the concept less scary to kids.) And while the internal dynamics are pivotal the movie does operate as a save the world narrative it just makes the stakes feel smaller in scope at the same time.
Then again action scenes bore me so I much prefer singings as the method of subdue the big bad.
Conclusion
At its ultimate core Kpop Demon Hunters is insanely earnest and entertaining. You can tell this movie wasn’t made to satisfy some demographic a boardroom wanted to fill at the box-office. The creative team behind this movie wanted to make a movie that satisfied them and their roots. And when the creatives are giving space to put their love and devotion into it really pays off.
So the answer to the opening question is no, it is not slop, this movie deserves all the hype, praise and accolades it has gotten since its release. However it’s not perfect but its multiple strengths more than make up for its minor faults, and of course it doesn’t need to be perfect that’s the point.
9.5 Bells out of 10
Also Derpy is the best, no notes.
*It’s a Bluey reference.
