Sony's animated Spider-Verse movies have been massive successes, earning praise from critics and fans alike while breaking box office and award show records for an animated comic book series. The first installment, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, came out in 2018, followed by its sequel, Across The Spider-Verse, in 2023, and a short film the same year, The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story; fans still have to wait until 2027 to see the conclusion to the Spider-Verse trilogy.
However, suppose you're a die-hard animation fan and love Sony Pictures Animation's energized style. In that case, there are other movies to enjoy as you wait.
K-Pop Demon Hunters is an action-adventure urban fantasy movie musical about an all-girl Korean idol group who use their secret identities as song-weaving warriors to kill demons. The premise itself felt like I read the pitch for a new manga, or manhwa. Eastern influences on the character design and world-building means it could appear to fans of anime and comic books, brought to life with Sony Pictures Animation's now unmistakable 2D/3D art technique. If Peni Parker is your favorite Spider-variant, then this movie is definitely for you.
I was eager to watch this movie for its bold, weird premise, and it provided more than what I was asking for. It's not just a movie for K-pop fans, but for lovers of music, animation, and fantasy as a whole. It doesn't take itself too seriously, but it doesn't limit itself to being just for kids, either. K-pop Demon Hunters is more of a movie for teenagers; there's unapologetic sex appeal, they say the K word ("kill," something Avatar: The Last Airbender wasn't allowed to say), and there's lots and lots of fantastical violence as the girls slay demons (no blood, though). And all of that is tied up with pop music that slaps. It's a shame this didn't have a theatrical release. I suggest watching with excellent headphones or a speaker system.
In many ways, K-pop Demon Hunters rivals Disney's latest animated musicals in creativity and presentation. It takes a familiar formula where characters go on journeys of self-discovery while forming friendships but gives it a fresh vinyl spin.
Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse, the final film in the Spider-Verse series (for now, anyway) will be out in theaters on June 4, 2027. It's still two years beyond our reach, but Sony Pictures Animation will probably keep us fed with quality movies and possibly short films in the meantime.
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