KPop Demon Hunters - Movie Review

K-pop Demon Hunters has been streaming on Netflix since June 20th. That's right, it took me like two months to finally see the movie that everybody's been talking about and has been still like the number one movie on Netflix even as I talk about it right now. It's insane. I keep hearing about this movie, I keep hearing the soundtrack, I keep seeing images from it, and I finally got a chance to sit down tonight with my wife and watch it. When they aren't selling out stadiums, K-pop superstars Roomie, Mira, and Zoe use their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet, an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise. But I also want to give a big thank you to the sponsor for this video, Fabletics. I'm wearing Fabletics right now. I love the way the clothing feels, it's very soft. This summer has been extremely hot in Ohio and my kids have gotten very active this year. They're interested in basketball and playing outside a lot and I am getting so much exercise and Fabletics has made me feel very comfortable while doing so. I'm getting super sweaty and I don't feel like the clothes are sticking to my body. They breathe really well and they help keep me cool. Fabletics clothing features bold colors, sleek neutrals, and trendy designs. They're made with soft and durable material, stretchy and flexible, moisture-wicking and breathable. They're quick-dry and anti-odor. They're anti-static and made with quality long-lasting material. And they have everything from casual to active wear. And right now you can get 80% off your first order when signing up as a new VP. So definitely check out that link in the description below. Thank you so much to Fabletics for sponsoring this video. So why did it take me so long to watch this movie? See, I haven't even watched Happy Gilmore 2 yet and I'm a massive fan of the first film. Honestly, it's because for whatever reason, streaming premieres for movies, I just can't get as excited about them anymore. I really want to go to the movie theaters as much as I can, and the idea of seeing new movies at the movie theater is really where I'm at. Then I found out that K-pop Demon Hunters is gonna have a theatrical release, but only as a sing-along event. And I was like, okay, Netflix very rarely ever puts their movies in theaters, period. And certainly, even more rarely, two months after they've already been released on the platform. So that's pretty crazy. I guess I should watch this film. And I'm really glad I did, because honestly, this is probably one of my favorite movies of the year. I had a really, really good time watching this. This is masterfully animated. The character animations are so realistic, not just for the singing sequences, but also for the emotional scenes. The action scenes are so heightened and very intense. Exceptional animation all around. It's also very funny. It has a lot of the DNA of the humor that you normally find in anime. It really just feels like this is a love letter to not just K-pop, but K-pop fans and also K-dramas. I don't watch Korean dramas, but my wife does. She loves them. She watches them all the time. And so I've seen a lot sort of like over her shoulder, and the vibes are here for sure. This movie is filled with a lot of the same type of moments. There's quite a bit of staring at some very well-formed abs. It is just exactly what you want if you like that type of thing. But even if you don't, like I don't necessarily watch K-dramas on repeat, I found this movie immensely entertaining, extremely well voice-acted, and the songs are actually really great. I just watched the movie a few hours ago, and I've already popped it open on Apple Music, and I've been listening to Soda Pop a few times. Okay, a couple times. Maybe more than that. But I also really found myself caring about all of the characters, especially Rumi, because she is kind of a half-demon. Her father was a demon, and she has these things called patterns, where essentially kind of looks like tattoos, that she hides that indicates that she has demon blood in her. And so she's fighting and killing the very thing that she is somewhat. And so there's a lot of conflict there, whether or not she can reveal it to her two teammates, and whether or not she can fall for somebody who is a pure-blood demon. I really do have to go back to the music, because it actually is great. Like the songs are really good, and the performances, and the choreography, and the dancing, it's all fantastic. Like you really do feel like you're watching a K-pop concert. And the pace is relentless. It's like 89 minutes before credits. This is exactly what Netflix is looking for. A movie that feels like you really can't turn it off, and something is happening all the time. The pace is so aggressive that I had flashbacks to a meeting that I had with Netflix last year. I actually met with them, and they were super cool. They took me to their offices, and they were like, this is what we're looking for. And they described in detail just how fast-paced they want things to be. They don't want to give viewers the option to pause or to turn away, because when you're watching from home, there are so many things that can grab your attention. And K-pop Demon Hunters is clearly exactly what they're looking for, because it never stops. So the film has gorgeous backdrops, great character animations, great characters, period. Exceptional fight scenes, a really good soundtrack, and a fun mythology for the demon world, and the human world, and what exactly is holding them back, and how the two can converge. I thought it was really an original way to take a story like this, and use things that we perhaps have seen elsewhere and other things, but make something that feels very new and fresh. I can't say that I was surprised by how good this was, because I've been hearing about this movie now for two months. But if I had seen it like in June for the first time, I would have been genuinely blown away by how great it is. It is one of the best animated movies of the year for sure. Guys, thank you so much as always for watching. I look forward to more videos very soon, and if you liked this, you can click right here to get Stuckmanized.