BTS Army: Forever We Are Young Review – A Global Celebration of BTS and ARMY, A Must See

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Category: Indies, Docs, Foreign Film

Published on Wednesday, 30 July 2025 09:31

Written by Janet Walker

BTS Army: Forever We Are Young, from Trafalgar Releasing, presents a celebration of the spectacular rise of the K-Pop supergroup BTS, told entirely through their devoted fanbase known as ARMY currently a 90 million strong influence and growing. 

The documentary begins with snapshots of those ARMY influencers who will be presenting their stories. From the beginning it is obvious that BTS has a cross cultural appeal. BTS ARMY was not a recording studio's major marketing plan, ARMY was created by the fans, who responded to these silly and personal videos of the early days when BTS were still hungry and dreaming of the stars.

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Then it moves into this chant, thousands strong, as the fans introduce the members of BTS, and for anyone who many do not know, BTS, a Korean pop boy band, one of the first bands in history to have birthed a social media ARMY, outside of a studio's efforts, that would be instrumental in propelling them to superstardom.

In addition to producing a global fanbase that crossed all barriers, race, nationality, socio-economic, ARMY, and acronym for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth, helped drive BTS to a valuation of more than $7 billion, in tickets sales, merchandise, concert merch as well as everything from stuffed animals to Lifesize cardboard cutouts, books, clothing, and endorsement deals. There was no limit as ARMY of fans were more than simply a teenage crush, they were a dedicated fanbase that lived with them, even beyond the traditional fan stage.

The members of ARMY featured in the documentary had grown up as the band matured and were now professionals, psychologists, doctors, academics, scholars and vloggers from all parts of the country; African American men from Texas, a women from Dayton, Tennessee, a Hijab wearing Muslim woman and her daughter, and a dance teacher in Seoul who teaches BTS choreography and gender fluid fans, there seemed to me no boundary that BTS hadn't smashed and turn those on the other side into ARMY fans.

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The documentary moves through how ARMY became instrumental in using social media to spread awareness. The early BTS videos are reminiscent of the Madonna's Lucky Star video, the limited funding, and choreography is apparent, almost as if, their label said, okay we'll give them a try and see.  To hear the ARMY base explain, the band had little recognition in their own country and felt compelled to do everything they could to help the band succeed as they were the underdogs, a feeling many worldwide can understand, with limited backing, and very little notice.

Enter Los Angeles. The documentary shows the band members standing at Hollywood and Highland, on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, giving out flyers to their Troubadour show. It was the launch of a meteoric rise that no one could have predicted except of course ARMY.  With fans standing in line for more than 17 hours, it marked the beginning of international acclaim.

BTS has galvanized multiple generations, youth, young adults, and throughout life with lyrics that resonate across the human condition. Stories of sexual orientation concerns, depression, loss, and the pressures of youth and choices.  The resonating message, from ARMY representative were that of finding hope, and the group's lyrics translated that universal message, even with billions of fans, they felt alone, they felt lonely, and their vulnerability spoke to the worldwide ARMY base who become even more dedicated as they witnessed these global superstars being vulnerable. Emotional truth does matter.

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The stories in the documentary are each different in how they became ARMY members seem to have one common theme and that is realism. One ARMY influencer explains that she was watching random YouTube videos and happened on them, and before BTS exploded into a global phenomenon, they were doing small videos of a day in the life. Jin had a cooking show, other members were showing snippets of themselves in their pre-polished days, acting silly or just being normal.

Having reached superstardom, the members of BTS were feeling the weight of their dreams. They were in intense contract negotiations, under pressure to maintain chart topping albums, and it was exhausting. Then the pandemic hit, the world tour was cancelled, and worse, Korea has mandatory military service, and when one member was forced to comply, the others all decided to enlist and essentially they would all serve and complete their service at the same time.

So now ARMY were without their leaders, and really this became a true test of their allegiance or devotion, and to the surprise of everyone the ARMY influencers grew during this down season. As the documentary ends we understand the band, now free are planning a 2026 concert tour. For ARMY it is a long awaited reunion of family.

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BTS Army: Forever We Are Young was surprisingly entertaining. Sorry folks, and this will come at a shock to the ARMY base, I may have been the only person on the planet who had not heard their music. However, after watching the documentary, I can see how they attract the global audience.

An authentic X factor and fearlessness to be themselves, real, and remember their fans, ARMY supported them and like a wave in a football stadium this fanbase, from all parts the world, organize to effect change, and that was never more obvious than at the 2017 Billboard Awards where 323 million fans voted BTS the Best in Music on Social Media award, not one other nominated artist reached 35 million social votes.

BTS Army: Forever We Are Young defies stereotypes of pop fans as screaming teens, ARMY is an inter-generational, culturally savvy, and socially active movement that is as diverse as the world itself. The film captures the powerful spirit of activism and collectivity that make ARMY a symbol of hope and unity in our ever-fractured world.

BTS Army: Forever We Are Young is made by ARMY for ARMY.   The film centers on the fans themselves and celebrates their creativity, resilience, and deep emotional connection to the group. Though rooted in fandom, the film explores universal themes of belonging, identity, and self-love. 

BTS Army: Forever We Are Young is in theaters now. A must see experience.

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Country: U.S.

Language: English, Korean, Spanish, in English subtitles.

Runtime: 108 minutes.

Director: Grace Lee, Patty Ahn.

Producer: Eurie Chung, Grace Lee, Nora Chute, Patty Ahn.

Executive Producer: Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, James Shin.

Featuring: Army representatives from around the world, Dumbfounded, Kate Halliwell.

Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She has completed the non-fiction narrative, "Unholy Alliances: A True Crime Story," and "Days, Times, Seasons, Events: A Collection of Poetry & Prose," both are available on Amazon. She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.