'KPop Demon Hunters' Review: Netflix's Animated Surprise of the Year
Netflix’s Animated Surprise of the Year
Premise - “A world-renowned K-Pop girl group balance their lives in the spotlight with their secret identities as demon hunters.”
Director - Chris Appelhans & Maggie Kang
Writer - Maggie Kang, Danya Jimenez, and Hannah McMechan
Noteworthy cast - Liza Koshy & Ken Jeong
My thoughts - Textbook example of why social media platforms like Letterboxd now play such an important role in propelling cinema forward. If it weren’t for that app, I would never have even considered watching this (and boy would I have been worse off for it).
Day after day another person I followed on the platform gave it a positive review. Each one inched me closer & closer to watching it before I finally pulled the trigger.
KPop Demon Hunters feels like the closest thing we will ever get to a modern version of a Disney Renaissance musical (Disney musical from the 90s). Stunning animation. Songs that will stick in your brain for weeks on end. A compelling romance you are rooting for. Colors exploding off the screen. Well rounded characters you are immediately invested in. Real stakes. A genuinely sincere & moving story. Tonally knows what it is & commits to it. Unafraid to touch on sensitive themes. Songs that actually propel the story forward.
Never in a million years expected it to move me the way that it did. Even if you aren’t typically one to enjoy Kpop or anime style films, I would recommend that you give this one a shot. And don’t be surprised when it wins you over!
Without a doubt the surprise of the year!
How did it do at the box office? - Not released theatrically
Did it win any Oscars? - To be determined, but probably not
Where to watch - Streaming on Netflix