KPop Demon Hunters (2025)

By: Mike Ward on Thursday, September 04

PG Running Time: 95 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

KPop Demon Hunters has no business being this good, and yet it blends together a mixtape’s worth of movie styles and genres and storytelling techniques to create perhaps the pop culture moment of 2025.
Good luck getting these songs and melodies out of your head. Including “Golden.” Especially “Golden.”
Striking visuals, a funny script, and delivering some really well-designed action sequences, KPop Demon Hunters wins you over with the risks it takes, the quick pace it has and the overall uniqueness of the film.

NO

I know, I know: Not every movie has to have a message, but I think there’s a little bit of disappointment that the movie did not dig deeper into themes of abandonment, legacy, and the dangerous price that can come with being famous. And call me crazy, but is it low-key critical of the K-Pop machine? Hmmm …
The film’s very funny opening half gives way to less humor and more action and melodrama. I wish the film could have stayed more consistent in tone and feel for a more well-rounded viewing experience.
I don’t know, you can’t stand Korean pop music, I guess? Maybe animated movies aren’t your thing, and I get that. However, spend 10 minutes with this movie and you’ll be hooked. Resistance to this thing is futile.

OUR REVIEW

Two months after debuting on Netflix with almost no pre-release buzz, the success of animated film KPop Demon Hunters is astonishing.

Not only is it the most watched film in Netflix history, the soundtrack has conquered the music charts. The film has spawned six Top 40 hits, four Top 10 singles (the first film to ever achieve that feat simultaneously) and also contains the first female-led K-Pop song to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (“Golden”). The “Sing Along” edition of the film became Netflix’s first theatrical release to officially top the weekend box office, and the album and “Golden” have reached #1 in at least 15 different countries thus far.

So parents … this is your kid’s favorite movie, song, and album all rolled into one. As I posted on social media recently - “Resistance is Futile” - meaning, I sat down and experienced Kpop Demon Hunters for myself. Twice. And this thing is as catchy and entertaining and fun as a pop culture moment can be.

Surprisingly funny, sharply directed, and a mixtape mashup of several different genres of storytelling, KPop Demon Hunters should not work this well. And yet it does. Within minutes, you will be invested in learning how a trio of female singers-slash-warriors, known as HUNTR/X (pronounced “Hun-Trex”), keep the universe in balance while slaying demons and keeping a literal fiery monster at bay.

As we get to know the vocal trio of Rumi (Arden Cho, with vocals by EJAE), Mira (May Hong, vocals by Audrey Nuna), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo, vocals by Rei Ami), we come to learn that HUNTR/X are the biggest pop stars on the planet. Their fans know nothing of their actual mission or their history. And now, the evil Gwi-Ma (Lee Byung-hun), that fiery monster mentioned earlier, has orchestrated the biggest challenge to HUNTR/X yet - a demon boy band.

Rumi is the group’s leader, raised by a former hunter from the past, Celine (Lea Salonga). As the movie begins, HUNTR/X are wrapping up a massive world tour and are looking for some overdue time off. However, after dispatching some demonic foes unexpectedly, Rumi decides to drop the group’s new single, “Golden,” and the group promptly announces they will perform the song in a live televised performance.

A massive hit minutes after it is released, during rehearsals Rumi’s voice starts to falter. Naturally, this allows a mysterious new boy band, Saja Boys, to make their debut and suddenly become the “it-band” of the moment. Overnight, Saja Boys are the biggest thing in music and HUNTR/X’s hold on top of the music industry is suddenly threatened.

After a couple viewings, I do think the film is at least toying with some deeper ideas about how fickle audiences can be nowadays. Directors Maggie Kang and Chris Applehans seem to imply that with one missed show, devoted fans can turn away from their favorites to focus on the “next big thing.” And while there is something to chew on there, KPop Demon Hunters isn’t looking at diving deep into message and subtext.

Instead, the storyline allows for a different set of songs to take center stage. In this case, it’s the two Saja Boys hits - the shallow, sugary-sweet “Soda Pop,” and the more dramatic “Your Idol,” both sitting in the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 as of this writing.

In case you somehow are unaware, K-Pop fans are everywhere. And KPop Demon Hunters plays like both a tribute to the genre and an acknowledgement of the massive fame these artists have attained around the world. As artists like BTS, BLACKPINK, and Stray Kids land #1 albums and high-charting singles, Kang and Applehans are not afraid to show the grind being famous can place upon someone. There is no stopping for any reason. These groups sing and dance and make appearances around the clock and seldom rest.

Plus in this film, one group has to slay literal demons every single day!

I am reminded not to overthink this. Kang and Applehans, who co-wrote the screenplay with writers Danya Jimenez and Hannah McMechan, do not linger in one space for too long. Things zip by at an accelerated pace. And even when the humor disappears a bit in the second half, the film more than makes up for a lull in the story with bold visual choices and established characters you want to root for.

Look … on paper, this movie sounds absurd. On screen, it’s great fun. How we got here, I’m not sure, but Netflix has reaped massive benefits. Sony Pictures spent approximately $100 million on the production, which Netflix then covered and kicked in an additional $25 million on top of that. As part of a deal between Sony and Netflix, the streamer believed in this thing and their gamble paid off. KPop Demon Hunters has dominated the pop culture conversation this summer and is arguably the pop culture event of the year.

The movie is fun, creative, inventive, and a force. The songs will stick with you, the movie holds up to repeated viewings, and don’t be surprised if a little movie called KPop Demon Hunters becomes the one animated movie we are still talking about at the end of 2025 and beyond.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Arden Cho, May Hong, Ji-young Joo, Yunjin Kim, Ken Jeong, Lee Byung-hun, Daniel Dae Kim, Rumi Oak, EJAE, Audrey Nuna, Rei Ami, Danny Chung, Andrew Choi, Neckwav, Samuil Lee, Kevin Woo, Joel Kim Booster

Director: Maggie Kang, Chris Applehans
Written by: Danya Jimenez, Hannah McMechan, Maggie Kang, Chris Applehans (screenplay); Maggie Kang (story)
Release Date: June 20, 2025 | Re-Release Date: August 22, 2025
Netflix

KPop Demon Hunters has no business being this good, and yet it blends together a mixtape’s worth of movie styles and genres and storytelling techniques to create perhaps the pop culture moment of 2025.

Good luck getting these songs and melodies out of your head. Including “Golden.” Especially “Golden.”

Striking visuals, a funny script, and delivering some really well-designed action sequences, KPop Demon Hunters wins you over with the risks it takes, the quick pace it has and the overall uniqueness of the film.

The film’s very funny opening half gives way to less humor and more action and melodrama. I wish the film could have stayed more consistent in tone and feel for a more well-rounded viewing experience.

I don’t know, you can’t stand Korean pop music, I guess? Maybe animated movies aren’t your thing, and I get that. However, spend 10 minutes with this movie and you’ll be hooked. Resistance to this thing is futile.