[Editorial] "Parasite" Named Best Film of the 21st Century... But What Is the Most Entertaining Movie?

The initial prejudice that the title seemed childish and the characters looked familiar disappeared the moment I turned on the screen. The thought that I could put this off because I already had a backlog of things to watch turned out to be wrong. Leaving aside its dazzling box office success, international media outlets continue to report on it as "a new phenomenon in K-culture," "the universalization of Korean narrative into genre," and "I expected it to be fun, but not to this extent." The article in the American music magazine Billboard is the pinnacle of praise: "It is not just a unique K-pop phenomenon, but is becoming the very center of pop culture itself."

This is the story of "K-Pop Demon Hunters" (Kedeheon), which has become not just a global sensation but a new cultural phenomenon. Immediately after its release last month, it topped Netflix's charts and, in less than a week, dominated the box office charts in 41 countries. The central premise is that K-pop idols become exorcists who fight off evil spirits. The protagonist, Huntrix, is a member of a K-pop idol group by day and a demon hunter fighting evil spirits that threaten the world by night.

The biggest factor behind its popularity is, of course, the music. The culture of K-pop fandom?singing along in unison, waving light sticks, and performing choreographed dances?permeates the entire film. From Huntrix’s "How It's Done" during a battle with evil spirits on an airplane, to Lion Voice’s "Soda Pop" and "Golden," the quality of the songs is astonishing. Especially notable is the film’s finale, "...What It Sounds Like," which connects perfectly with the opening and leaves a dramatic aftertaste. The soundtrack achieved a remarkable feat by placing eight songs on the Billboard charts. It’s incredible to witness virtual idols from the animation competing with real-life K-pop stars.

On top of this, elements of traditional and popular Korean culture are woven throughout. The details of the characters’ costumes and accessories are flawless. The film features Seoul’s streets and fortress walls, dishes of gimbap and sundae, and scenes of relaxing in a public bathhouse. The act of placing utensils on a napkin before a meal is the ultimate detail. After watching Kedeheon, foreign viewers no longer call it "Ramen," but pronounce it correctly as "Ramyeon," just as Huntrix enjoys it. There are also characters as memorable as the protagonist: "Duffy," a blue tiger seemingly straight out of the folk painting "Hojakdo," and "Seossi," a magpie wearing a gat, are more than just scene stealers. These two characters, reinterpreted from folk art, are not mere supporting roles but symbols of Korean cultural identity.

Kedeheon repeats and transforms a variety of themes and genres. Its skill in creating something new and entertaining from familiar elements through crossbreeding of themes and genres is unprecedented in Korean cinema. Semiotician Umberto Eco once said, "The film 'Casablanca' (1942) became a masterpiece because, by rearranging and blending various Hollywood genres, it evokes new enjoyment every time you watch it." Kedeheon is no different. While one or two cliches might elicit a chuckle, Eco’s observation that a multitude of cliches can be moving rings true here.

Last month, The New York Times selected director Bong Joonho’s "Parasite" (2019) as the greatest film of the 21st century. Although I don’t put much trust in such rankings, it placed a Korean film above David Lynch’s "Mulholland Drive" (2001) and Wong Kar-wai’s "In the Mood for Love" (2000). "Squid Game," which concluded with season 3, became the most-watched program worldwide, a record unlikely to be broken anytime soon. These two works, which might seem like allegories or grim fairy tales satirizing an unequal society, drew attention by using social cross-sections?such as semi-basement apartments and traditional games?and diverse cultural elements as interpretive keys. This is why the old saying "what is Korean is global" now sounds newly relevant.

A behind-the-scenes story from the Kedeheon production team: "Americans liked the Korean scenes so much that we filled the entire film with fun aspects of Korea from start to finish, and it was a huge hit." Not every good film is entertaining, but every entertaining film is a good one?at least in the realm of popular culture. Even if you try to hold back your swelling national pride, watching Kedeheon again is still enjoyable.