KPop Demon Hunters (2025) Animated Movie Review

KPop Demon Hunters is a 2025 animated musical/action/fantasy/comedy movie that features three K-pop heroines (Rumi, Mira, and Zoey), following a tradition of ancient female warriors, battling demons as they also deal with their life as music stars, members of a successful group named Huntrix. Trouble arises when a new boy band, the Saja Boys, rises in popularity and steals their fandom but this new group hides sinister secrets, turning the popularity contest into a fight for the future of mankind.

Produced by Sony Pictures Imageworks, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans and starring Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-seop, May Hong and Ken Jeong, to name a few. It was made by Kang to express her passion for her heritage and country. It was released on Netflix on June 20. 

Right from the start one has to be taken aback by its singular style, the marvellous and beautiful art direction and the swift and fluid animation of the highest order. It's quite fantastic on those terms. I think that visually it's quite breathtaking, incredibly detailed, full of stimulating colors, eclectic music video editing and great character and background designs that are borderline iconic and memorable, especially when we are talking about the main trio with their fashionable hairstyles and outfits. 

The protagonists are quirky, pretty and energetic, playing off of each other very well. When the film was announced, people praised it not only for having three main female characters but also because the comedy involved them having very goofy and over-the-top expressions instead of being always composed and playing it too straight to maintain their "femininity". Demon Hunters breaks that boundary. I think director Maggie Kang herself said it best: "I just wanted to see something different from the Marvel female superheroes that were just sexy and cool and badass. But I also wanted to see girls who had potbellies and burped and were crass and silly and fun, because that's really what I am. So I just wanted to create something that encompassed all of those elements." This is a good step forward because girls being silly is something that is needed in entertainment, it's almost normalized here with daffy jokes about eating lots of food, slapstick, burps, nutty shouting, kooky reactions and things of that sort. It's varied in its comedy, using both character-based humor and visual gags to good effect.

The musical department is just as imaginative, I enjoyed the rhythmic and catchy songs all the way. Even if K-pop isn't my cup of tea I still had a very good time listening to the soundtrack and every song worked very well. So if you were worried about the movie depending on your musical taste then you don't have to anymore because it's not an alienating factor here.

I must say that the world, the art and the writing are all pretty creative and well done, but unfortunately there are some issues with it, the storyline isn't quite as original as I expected, reusing the typical "big secret" and the trite "girl band versus boy band" tropes. It never becomes intolerable but it sort of becomes too conventional and safe to stand out properly. I also wasn't a fan of the cheap Korean humour, the boyband jokes and also males writing stuff that they think women find attractive. I also think it loses momentum by the third act before quickly gaining it for the climax. The character conflicts also could have been less arbitrary or resolved in a more thoughtful manner.

Since a great deal of its components are so greatly made, I think it would be good to see a full animated series based on this world and characters in the future or at least some sequels that explore the possibilities of its universe. I would pay to see these characters in a plethora of hilarious scenarios and plots.

Also, here's some older concept art I found that they used when the project was announced.

In short, it's a fun and entertaining time, especially for teens and kids but parents will also enjoy it's cleverness and the technical feats accomplished will surely make it more palatable than the average kids film. Totally recommended if you believe it may be for you (specially if you are into the subject matter), and also if you can put up with some cutesy weirdness. 

The Brave One (2007) Movie Review

The Brave One is a 2007 crime-thriller-action film directed by Neil Jordan and starring Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveen Andrews, Zoë Kravitz and Nicky Katt. It was written by Roderick Taylor, Bruce A. Taylor and Cynthia Mort. The film was a box office bomb (keep in mind, Foster got paid $15 million for this film) and reviews were mixed at the time. After all, it's an interesting depiction of post-traumatic stress disorder and of women who don't want to be victims and take action.

Erica Bain (Forster) is a New York radio host who lives an average life. One day, Erica and her husband are attacked by a group of muggers. She is badly wounded and her man is murdered in cold blood by the criminals. After her recovery, she spends most of her time as a vigilante, killing robbers and low lifes with her handgun (one she got from the black market after failing to buy a weapon). Meanwhile, detective Sean Mercer (Terence Howard) is going after the recent acts of vigilantism Erica committed.

This plot right here is essentially a very modernized version of the notorious and controversial seventies film Death Wish, it has pretty much the same structure and themes as a whole, the message of the movie about "justice" is also just as questionable. However, the film wasn't as polemic during its release and was seen as a rather tame entry in the revenge sub genre but one that delivers what it promises when it comes to cheap thrills.

That's certainly a good assessment because The Brave One is sort of a more violent and slightly more socially conscious film than average that manages to create a more gripping experience than the original, making the story be a bit more interiorized and ending up being more emotionally effective and captivating than the other film.

Jodie Foster is great as the vigilante lady, she manages to make you care about such a normal trope of a character with her conviction and acting skills. The supporting actors do their job competently but most of them never actually stick into your mind and some of them are annoying, like the officer who is onto the protagonist's antics. The direction and technical aspects are honestly pretty impressive and well done, always stimulating and dynamic with its editing and camera work.

I could recommend The Brave One if you are up for a decently done action crime film from its era, it doesn't overstay its welcome and has some nice acting moments from Foster but it's nothing particularly special and has several flaws in its logic and its derivative nature is surely tiresome.