What is a KPOP Demon Hunter and why does your kid want to be one for Halloween? 

This summer Netflix released a smash hit animated film, KPop Demon Hunters. The movie is the most streamed original Netflix movie of all time and the song from the movie, “Golden” has been topping the music charts since the movie came out. “Golden” was the most successful soundtrack song in a decade and the first song by a Kpop girl group (the fictional now kind of real group, Huntr/x) to be number 1 in the United States. The film was streamed 236 million times when it first came out and now is over 320 million streams and climbing. 

So its no surprise that the characters from the Kpop band, Huntr/x, in the movie are the hottest Halloween costume of the year for girls young and old. 

But was the movie any good (for its audience, children)? Is it worth the hype? The Conservative Critic asks: Is it entertaining, does it have artistic/intellectual and is it liberal propaganda? 

The Conservative Critic: KPop Demon Hunters

Overall rating: Best animated movie for older kids in a long time 

In a world where audiences can no longer count on titans like Disney to produce quality animated films for children over five, Kpop Demon Hunters rises to meet the need. Kpop Demon Hunters provides aspirational characters, pretty pop singers who fight evil, and exciting adventure that children can immerse themselves in. One of the biggest flaws of Disney and Pixar studios new animated direction is how hideous and incompetent all of their leading characters have become. Little boys and girls want to look up to a hero and imagine themselves like those heroes. Kpop Demon Hunters achieves this and it does so with great aplomb. A musical, the movie has nothing but smash hits in the score. It deals with dark themes but in an age appropriate not-too-scary way that gives clear: evil v good even providing nuance to that understanding but without eliminating the existence of any true “bad guy” from the story as is the trend with the juggernauts. 

If the aesthetically pleasing animation, aspirational characters and story wasn’t enough – it’s also thematically pretty Christian. Even though the demons themselves are based on Korean lore and there is nothing directly Christian about the story, it’s about redemption freeing us from shame and sin and the danger of idolizing the world.

Is it entertaining? 

Rating: A fun adventure full of bops

KPop Demon Hunters is above all a lot of fun. The adventure kicks off immediately with Huntr/x fighting demons while on their way to perform a concert. There is a lot of humor, and there is conflict not only in action sequences but also with budding romances, pop band rivalry and family expectations. The pace is perfect and the length suitable for kids at just over 90 minutes. Kids will be into this from start to finish and parents won’t be bored. The music is fantastic and interwoven into the story sometimes used tro narrate the plot like a traditional musical and sometimes a performance within the fictional world. Viewers will be sold on this movie from scene one. 

Even though Huntr/x is a girl group and the plot is driven from a girl perspective, the boy group foil to the girls, the Saja Boys, is in quite a bit of the movie and have their own songs and a strong leading man for boys to be able to enjoy the movie as well, albeit, not likely as much as girls. 

Does it have artistic/intellectual value? 

Rating: Fantastic music and solid animation

The first and most important thing about the quality of the movie is the incredible music. The band Huntr/x is vocally performed by real life Kpop singers who, before the movie, were not in a real band but individually were all extremely talented. I would think now they’d probably make a go of a real life Huntr/x due to the success of the songs in the movie. The songs for the movie are all original with writing credits including the talented singing voices of Huntr/x but also a string of other composers. A lot went into making the music of the movie which is why it’s so good. In a world where artificial intelligence threatens to replace talented composers and animators like those associated with Kpop Demon Hunters, noting when something took a lot of effort is important to truly assessing its quality. 

The animation is also clever. Sony has produced several movies with the same style of part computer animated and part hand drawn. It creates a beautiful effect that brings back some of the old world of animation without sacrificing some of the flair of computer assisted capabilities. It also is not strictly in the style of anime but it borrows from the style which gives a rich texture to the feeling and setting of the story. 

And the story is good. Its complex enough to be interesting, visiting themes of good and evil, self worth, friendship, loyalty, love and sacrifice. But its not overwrought with metaphor and the story trusts its audience to understand the themes without spelling them out in an insipid monologue. Children are smart. Kpop Demon Hunters treats them like they’re smart but also protect them because they’re still only children. The movie strikes a great balance.

Is it liberal propaganda? 

Rating: If anything its Christian 

The movie isn’t inherently Christian or of any particular faith. The demons are based on Korean folklore. But the main storyline deals with shame where sins are literally worn visibly on the characters bodies. They overcome the same in a redemptive journey requiring sacrifice and separation from evil. So while its not a Christian movie, it definitely promotes the same values as a Christian household short of references to the savior himself. 

There is nothing woke, weird, or particularly political at all about the characters or themes of the movie.

Conclusion 

Kpop Demon Hunters is the children’s movie of the year by a long mile. It’s really the best original children’s movie of the last several years.