Finding God in Video Games

The entire narrative weight of the K-Pop Demon Hunters movie hinged on one important decision that Rumi made midway through the story: the decision to stop looking at Jinu as an enemy to be vanquished and instead see him through new eyes—as a vessel in need of mercy. Once she separated the darkness from the afflicted soul inside, she recognized a kindred spirit seeking to be ...

As Rumi’s journey reached its epic conclusion, her final battle against Gwi-Ma began with his mocking accusation: “You can’t fix the world… you can’t even fix yourself.” While Rumi agreed that she was unable to fix herself, she made it clear she wasn’t there to fight this battle in her own strength alone or on his terms. Her war cry wasn’t a self-affirming message of her own ...

As the Saja Boys’ devious plan to steal the hearts (and souls) of their fans built to a grand finale, the depth of their deception was revealed in a line from their performance of “Your Idol.” The path to convincing their fans that they were their friends was exposed in the line, “You know I’m the only one who’ll love your sins” … an empty promise used to lure an entire stadi...

The unprecedented move to take a movie that was exclusively streaming on Netflix and place it in theaters was a bit of a risk… but K-Pop Demon Hunters was clearly designed to be enjoyed in the company of other like-minded fans. Crowds surged to cinemas to buy tickets to a movie they already had access to at home, sending it to the top spot at the box office… because there is ...

Over the course of the K-Pop Demon Hunters movie, each of the glimpses we get into Jinu’s broken and shame-ridden psyche builds to a crescendo as he sings the words, “Between imposter and this monster I’ve been lost inside my head”… a condition that has tormented him for four hundred years. Having his worst choices and failures replayed in his mind over and over again by Gwi-...