Beyond the normal world lies a world of demons. Ruled by Gwi-ma, demons enter the human world and steal their souls. To stop this, a legacy of demon hunters performing as the k-pop group, HUNTR/X, are on the quest to stop them. With their music, they can seal the barrier between both worlds called the “honmoon”, and keep humans safe.
Overall, I genuinely loved this movie. The story was inspirational and thrilling. Considering everyone’s perspective, I liked how there were several plot lines going at once. Rumi, Mira, and Zoey of HUNTR/X were not only demon hunters, but k-pop idols to the rest of the world. Like Hannah Montana, having a secret identity is always cool. Not to mention, the music was incredible. To me, every song is a hit. “Golden” is still the number one song on the billboard hot 100 list for the eighth week in a row, and I’m not mad about it.
On the other hand, this film did disappoint me in several ways. Firstly was the lack of character development in the main characters. Besides Rumi and Jinu, the leaders of HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, the other members of both groups had very little backstory. Mira and Zoey had one or two lines that discussed their insecurities, but that was about it.
I was especially interested in the backstory behind the other members of Saja Boys. Why did they decide to work with Jinu? Did they have similar motives, or were they just sort of created for the plot? It wasn’t revealed at all. I noticed they tried to make all the members of both groups interact a couple times, but it was far too little. Most of the interaction was helped by their ships. Rumi was shipped with Jinu, Mira was shipped with Abby and Romance, and Zoey was shipped with Mystery. With this still, we only got some scenes here and there where they interacted, like at the one fan signing. But even in all those scenes, Baby Saja was barely involved. He’s the only member who doesn’t have a ship with anyone from HUNTR/X. In some ways that’s good, as forced interaction with characters just for the sake of it is never good. Although, it’s better than nothing.
*SPOILERS*
The twist definitely made the movie what it is. Rumi, leader of the demon hunters is actually half-demon herself. I had no clue this was the case until fully watching it, but I think the movie would not have been the same without it. A main reason this is an issue is because Rumi’s aunt Celine raised her to hide that part of herself no matter what, and to never show her demon patterns. The other members of HUNTR/X have no idea, and Rumi goes above and beyond to hide it. It broke my heart to see Mira and Zoey’s reaction to this in the end, almost confirming Celine’s messages to be true. Although I feel like it’s a bit complicated, as Rumi’s sketchy behavior could have made them suspicious in general. Regardless, I was not a fan of seeing them turn on her without hesitation.
*END OF SPOILERS*
There is so much potential for a good sequel. Depending on who’s still alive, so much could happen. I’d like to see the other Saja Boys again, possibly redebuting in a new group. I would love to see Baby Saja return and cause some chaos, as he really laid low.
Overall, I’d give this film a solid 9/10. Incredible in so many ways, but I’d love to have seen some more backstory behind the other HUNTR/X girls and Saja Boys.