Redhawks have been caught up in the new movie, K-Pop Demon Hunters, a fast-paced animated film about a global K-pop girl group who battle demons undercover while maintaining their careers as international pop stars. The movie blends fantasy, action, music, and eye-catching visuals.
Building on this energetic premise, the animation features bright colors, flashing lights, and stylized fight scenes. Each battle combines K-pop choreography with magical combat. Characters are exaggerated and over-the-top, matching the movie’s intense style.
Braelyn Toomer, a junior at Westwood High and longtime K-pop fan, says the soundtrack resonated with her. “In the song, the main character talks about how she’s gonna stop hiding and start shining how she’s born to be… I need to start stepping out of my comfort zone and express how talented I am,” she said about the song Golden by Huntrix.
The soundtrack features K-pop groups such as HUNTR/X, Saja Boys, TWICE, MeloMance, and Jokers, with 4 songs charting top 10 on the Billboard Top 100 simultaneously.
These songs include the number 1 hit “Golden” by HUNTR/X, number four’s “Your Idol” by Saja Boys, number five’s “Soda Pop”, which was also by Saja Boys, and HUNTR/X’s “How It’s Done”, which debuted at number 10.
With the movie surrounding Korean Pop and culture, having the movie be released on Netflix in America has pushed low expectations for the movie.
“I didn’t have very high expectations because most modern media doesn’t really represent different cultures very well; it tends to be kinda one-dimensional.” Says Jordyn Parnell, a K-genre club advisor at Westwood.
The movie is also gaining traction due to its group of characters. Characters are diverse in personality, background, and motivations. This often sparks strong viewer preferences.
“I like how they display each character and give them their own personality,” said 9th grader Paxton Sweeny. He added, “I didn’t like most of the demons because they were based on just one characteristic compared to Jinu.”
Jinu is the secondary antagonist of the film. Once human, Jinu was cursed into becoming a demon after a pact with Gwi-Ma, the all-powerful ruler of the Demon Realm.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is a groundbreaking animated action film that blends pop culture, fantasy, and exciting storytelling in a way that’s drawing attention across a broad audience. Whether you’re a K-pop fan or not, it’s a film that’s impossible to ignore, leaving Redhawks and moviegoers alike talking about it long after the credits roll.
