Why 'K-Pop Demon Hunters' Is The Number One Movie On Netflix Right Now!

It is widely known that Netflix Originals can be hit or miss, but their new animated feature K-Pop Demon Hunters may just be one of our favorite films of the year so far. With its colorful visuals, heartfelt messaging, and fleshed out characters, K-Pop Demon Hunters surpassed its genre and became a sign that Netflix may be back on track. The movie turned out to be exactly what we were looking for, and it may be just the film for you too! 

As we begin to explain the plot of K-Pop Demon Hunters, we can’t help but be reminded of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", another piece of media that uses its ridiculous name and campy premise -- young women slay demons while still making time for their various interpersonal dramas -- to subvert expectations. K-Pop Demon Hunters follows three protagonists which make up an ultra-famous fictional K-Pop group named Huntrix, yet are also part of a long line of powerful women who use music to reinforce the Honmoon, a barrier that keeps hordes of soul-hungry demons at bay. The leader of this trio, Rumi, is the focus of the story, as the arrival of a group of demons masquerading as a K-Pop boy band threaten what Huntrix has built while simultaneously making Rumi question everything she has spent her life believing.

One the one hand, K-Pop Demon Hunters is a fun and family-friendly animated film with enough comedy, catchy songs, and action sequences to entertain most viewers. (It also doesn't hurt that it's from the same studio that brought us the Spider-Verse movies.) On the other hand, it provides an original quality and an authentic essence that is all too lacking in modern day films; it feels completely itself and born straight from the passion of its creators. Through its world-building, it seamlessly weaves aspects of Korean culture into its story and visual style, providing representation that isn’t always accessible for Korean audiences, especially when it comes to Netlfix Originals. The emotional themes that the film tackles aren’t inappropriate for younger audiences, but they do provide something more moving to an older viewer who can appreciate their complexity. At the heart of K-Pop Demon Hunters are messages of self-acceptance and redemption, and the film urges its viewers to ask questions and seek complexity instead of accepting that everything is black and white. As is the case with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", to blindly follow the misdirections of the trailer or the reception of people who havent seen it would be to would be to buy into exactly what the film warns its audience of. 

In a streaming world of films whose first priority is always pleasing its audience, K-Pop Demon Hunters feels more focused on being itself and appealing to a smaller group of people who so rarely get stories meant for them. That being said, for those who are looking for a Netflix film that has a heart capable of both making you laugh and cry, we would tell you not to be fooled by first impressions -- K-Pop Demon Hunters may be just what you’re looking for too!