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After lighting up box offices across the globe and snagging four Academy Awards, the 2019 film Parasite is now hitting the already well-used computer and TV screens of pandemic life—on Hulu.
But the film's internet intro wasn't without a few troll responses.
Hulu, however, is a bit saucier than we thought and threw shade right back.
South Korean Director Bong Joon-ho's black comedy Parasite spent its release year scooping up awards left and right.
The film won the Palm d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival by a unanimous vote. A year later at the 2020 Academy Awards, Parasite took home four awards: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best International Film, and Best Picture.
Parasite was the first non-English film to win the Best Picture award in the 92-year history of the Academy Awards—clearly the film held up even when non-Korean audiences watched the film.
So when Hulu gained exclusive streaming rights to the film, its popularity and critical claim seemed to be a sure win for the service. Of course, no amount of awards or global recognition can eliminate the spirited below-the-belt jabs of internet trolls.
One Twitter user respond with a succinct rejection of Hulu's enthusiastic announcement of the film's arrival to the streaming world.
@hulu Pathetic movie— Frente Cívico (@Frente Cívico)1586365022.0
However, Hulu is a company of the internet age.
It understands the dynamics of Twitter as much as the platform's snarkiest corporate accounts. We're looking at you Wendy's.
The streaming service's official twitter returned a jab of its own, just as succinct.
@Frentecivico it won.... four oscars......— Hulu (@Hulu)1586365469.0
The door was already open, however, and Hulu would face more detractors.
One dig, a far longer-winded entry, took Parasite to task for the film's reading demands.
Simply put, this guy hates reading. So he watches movies.
But this movie makes him read, so it stinks.
@hulu @Frentecivico It’s not in English, no one wants to watch a movie that they literally have to read to understa… https://t.co/WdECcMd159— Dave II (@Dave II)1586367591.0
Again, Hulu showed not an ounce of sympathy.
@DaveGardiner11 @Frentecivico if you don't want to read subtitles, you can always learn Korean!— Hulu (@Hulu)1586370300.0
Other Twitter users, excited by Hulu's defensive maneuvers, got in on the anti-troll action.
@DaveGardiner11 @hulu @Frentecivico Man shut up lol— 李多 (@李多)1586368312.0
@DaveGardiner11 @hulu @Frentecivico just say you can’t read and keep it moving— ☆n (@☆n)1586371137.0
@DaveGardiner11 imagine thinking that the whole world speaks and revolves around english 🤡— gaymir⁷ (@gaymir⁷)1586371221.0
@DaveGardiner11 @hulu @Frentecivico I know the comments are going to destroy you here, but I’m just going to say, I… https://t.co/jKwUZOuBOk— Hazard⁷ (@Hazard⁷)1586377812.0
@DaveGardiner11 @hulu @Frentecivico https://t.co/WlO2C4XP1G— 𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒊 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍 (@𝑲𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒊 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍)1586377913.0
It would be nice to think that the subtitle rejector read all of this feedback and opened himself up to the bountiful world of art made by non-English speakers.
But that would require so much reading.
And he apparently really hates that.