(We all knew this article was coming…)
“Watch K-Pop Demon Hunters, only streaming on Netflix!!” Way too many of these ads were constantly on Spotify, seeming to pop up between every song. I swore I’d never watch this movie just because of that title alone, but a month later, here I am with songs stuck in my head from the record-breaking Netflix hit. Lots of Timpview students have had the same reaction — this movie has pleasantly surprised them.
K-pop fan or not, many T-Birds seem to agree that this is a good movie. Even though she’s not a huge K-pop fan, junior Siqi Pang said that the K-pop angle worked well in the movie “because the hunter’s genre changes with each generation, and K-pop was most relevant with our generation.” Sophomore Sadie James explained she wasn’t really into K-pop before, but because of this movie, she’s getting into it more.
“I am a HUGE K-pop fan, and I think [the movie] represented the culture well,” said junior Noelle Hoopes. Siqi agreed, “It represented a lot of the pop culture really well, especially through the food.”
“I think the K-pop aspect was a little random, but it helped with the uniqueness of the storyline,” said senior Spencer Christensen. Lots of people have agreed that, whether they liked this Korean twist or not, it was cool to see, because it’s never really been done before.
The 7 original songs from the movie proved to be favorites around the world, helping the movie gain popularity. Although not a big fan of the movie, Senior Nathan Weaver said that the K-pop theme worked out since “it gave the movie good music.” Sadie agreed that “the MUSIC!!” played a big role, adding, “It just made it better.” After seven weeks of climbing the chart, Golden clinched the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, shattering multiple records on its way. All other songs reached top 50 on multiple charts worldwide, proving the “K-Pop Demon Hunters phenomenon” was really global.
Although a majority of students have enjoyed the movie, some had a different take. Sophomore Eliza Killpack said she didn’t like the movie, admitting, “I just don’t really understand how people lose their minds over pop stars.” Others have agreed, acknowledging that even though it’s not bad, it’s just really overrated.
I decided to interview some of Timpview’s teachers to see if their opinions were any different. It honestly surprised me to find that lots of our teachers haven’t actually seen it. Mr. Oliphant, the choir teacher, said that other choir directors have recommended it to him. And although he hasn’t watched it, having his students and children always listening to the music has led him to decide, “Golden is probably my favorite [song].”
Even if they haven’t been exposed to the demon-hunting culture, it seems some T-Bird teachers might just have some hunter in them, according to several students. From Van Orden (who students view as “sensible, funny and bold”) to Chow (who’s “super entertaining but still super intense when he wants to be) to Baker (who they say is “really bold”) to Madame Petelo (who they describe as “intense and really cool”) and to Mr. Oliphant (who “would make an amazing idol” and has a “great voice”), it would appear that Timpview High School is pretty demon-safe.
Whether you’ve been beguiled by Your Idol, learned the Soda Pop dance with your friends, or done duo karaoke to Free, it’s fair to say that this movie has made some impact on us all.
