It’s hard to truly capture what makes Stray Kids such a special group – trust us, we’ve written about them a lot in the pursuit of trying – but The dominATE Experience does an amazing job of encapsulating it. The movie follows the boys’ sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium on the dominATE Tour last summer while giving fans a closer look with exclusive behind-the-scenes clips and insightful interviews with each member. As longtime STAYs, we’re so grateful that we got to check out a special media preview of the film to review for you!
We already knew this film would be awe-inspiring, because A) it’s our boys, of course it would be. And B) The dominATE Experience was directed by Paul Dugdale, who worked on iconic concert movies like Taylor Swift’s reputation Stadium Tour, which still lives in our minds rent-free. The film itself is very well-crafted, with drone shots and crowd clips showing the pure magnitude of the night while each SKZ member gets their own enticing moments to highlight their talent and personality. They also get to highlight their unbreakable bond as a group in the ways they hype each other up and exchange energy.
From the very beginning, when dancers dressed like marching band members come out with big red flags to set the tone for ‘Mountains,’ you know you’re in for a show like no other. Changbin shared during one of his interviews for the movie that the group wanted to deliver the most moving show possible: “We wanted to enjoy the stage like real rock stars and if that energy and synergy could travel through the music, then even the fans sitting far away – who can barely see us, like the size of a fingernail – would still be able to feel it. That’s what we really focused on.”
One of the biggest things you’ll feel while watching The dominATE Experience is just how much the boys really, really love STAYs. They spent most of the concert on the extended stage to be closer to the crowd, exchanging waves and completing fans’ hand hearts for cute photos. Their faces absolutely lit up when they looked out into the crowd and saw how much fun everyone was having. They left the stage for a moment before coming back for the Festival remix of ‘Chk Chk Boom’ and I.N was already back to the barricade singing face-to-face with STAYs by the time his first line came up.
During ‘Cinema,’ Seungmin made a point to dedicate the evening to the fans who attended, giving them just as much credit as the members: “Look around. This is your moment. You showed up. You brought the fire. When it’s all over, don’t forget your name’s written all over this night.” Fans even got the chance to submit their names to Live Nation for the “end credits” visuals that appear on-screen at the end of ‘Cinema,’ popping up over views of the lit-up crowd singing along.
Chan perhaps says it most directly in his solo interview: “I’m having so much fun being able to see how far we can run. But we’re in this together with STAYs as well. If it wasn’t for you guys, we would not be here… And I know that for a fact. So thank you.”
The group’s dedication to their fans, art, and performances is undoubtedly one of the best parts of The dominATE Experience, shining through every single song and interview segment. They performed throwback songs like ‘District 9’ and ‘Domino’ with as much vigor and hunger as they did when they were rookies, not letting the magical gravity of the moment go underappreciated. Most of the group ditched the jackets they started wearing during ‘Chk Chk Boom’ within just a few minutes because of how much energy they were putting in.
Rather than replicating the famous knocking-and-entering choreo of 2020’s ‘Back Door,’ they sang on various lifting platforms as if to visually represent that they’re no longer going through the back door of the industry, but commanding attention on their own captivating stage.
“Stray Kids everywhere all around the world” isn’t a goal anymore, it’s the reality that they’ve worked relentlessly to bring to life for eight years – even longer when you consider their years of training to prepare for moments like these. The dominATE Experience celebrates how Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N will never hesitate to go above and beyond for their dreams or their fans. And it makes it very clear that their path to world domination is far from over: they’re only just getting started.
There’s nothing quite like getting content from your SKZ bias that reaffirms why you love them, so we’re recapping some of our favorite quotes from each member’s solo interviews and adding in some HD stills from the film! New lockscreen, anyone?
Felix
Rise and shine! The solo spotlights start off strong with our resident sunshine, Felix, who opens up about The Felix Effect where his deep voice draws people in, as well as the sacrifices he’s made to become an idol and how he’s gone through times of losing himself. It hurts our hearts to know he felt like that, though completely understandable, and we hope he can experience as much joy as he brings to STAYs around the world. He’s poured so much of himself into being a member of Stray Kids, a standout brand ambassador, the boys’ personal baker, and more over the years. We can’t imagine our lives without his presence!
What is my job? What is my purpose? What is my mission? At a time like this, people still need to see that sense of light. And no matter where there is so much darkness, I do the best I can to spark some light, and to be the light for everyone else. People need to have that, that sense of love, and I do the best I can. If they truly love me back, they’ll understand what it is that I go through.
Felix
Han
SKZ’s resident quokka brings such an incredible duality to everything he does. He can express so much emotion while still coming off as strong and cool. He can be a total powerhouse onstage and be silly with the members in their downtime. We’ve gotten to see so many sides of Han over the years and we look forward to seeing many more! His solo interview let him open up about finding a balance between his famous life and his personal life, and these moments felt very honest and raw. He also opened up about a preshow ritual he has where he tells himelf, “I’m gonna kill it today” over and over! Keep killing it and being your most authentic self, Han.
Stray Kids’ HAN and the person Han Jisung… those two personas should have been separated from the beginning, but there was a time when they weren’t. I’ve lived without separating the persona, which confused me. I think I was too young with my ego not being fully developed, and living this life, there was a lot of unfamiliarity, a lot of things that were scary and frightening. So when I had a hard time handling all these situations, the members would sometimes get angry at me. But they also gave me real and truthful avice. I really benefitted from our members. I found a lot of inner peace, a boost of inner strength.
Han
I.N
Our now-confident maknae, I.N, opened up about overthinking and his worries during their early performances before shifting to a more positive tone as he started talking about his fellow members and the STAYs who support them. He even said that STAYs are his “source of confidence” even though he didn’t know how to interact with them or find the cameras during SKZ’s debut days. His growth is so apparent, especially when they threw in a clip of debut-era Jeongin backstage at a performance. He totally commands the stage now! It’s been such an honor to follow along with his journey as an idol and a person over the years.
I think I’ve learned to love myself the way these fans love me. […] Right now, I have so many fans cheering for me. Stray Kids’ I.N will always exist, but will the fandom, STAY, be with us forever? That thought scares me. To be honest, I don’t believe this moment will last forever, even though I am trying hard to make it last and I will keep trying. I just want to cherish the moment of touring, connecting with fans through music.
I.N
Lee Know
The dominATE Experience brings us a lot of golden moments of Minho being an absolute menace – see him drenching STAYs with two water guns at once and squeezing Hyunjin’s face during ‘Blind Spot’ as prime examples of the playful attitude that gives us so much joy. But we also get heartfelt confessions about how feeling unprepared during their debut days gave him a lot of anxiety and how he questions why STAY love SKZ so much. It’s clear that he has high expectations of himself to give his all for the boys and fans, and he truly has given his all to be a powerhouse idol we’ll always admire. He’s put so much energy into perfecting his talents and becoming the best artist he can be!
I don’t think people are moved just by the sound of my voice, but rather by the message of the song I’m singing. So I always try to voice the meaning of the song and hope the message really connects with the fans. […] I really admire my members. No matter how busy we are, they’re still writing songs and creating. So much respect for them. We’ve built up so much trust over the years that our hearts connect, we can understand each other without saying a word.
Lee Know
Changbin
We love that Changbin acts as such a steady, grounding force for Stray Kids and STAYs! He said he wants STAY to “feel the resonance” in his voice in the same way he feels the love in STAYs voices as they sing along at concerts. Cue the waterworks. He had so many cute interactions throughout the film with not only STAYs, but his fellow SKZ members as well, including when he took part in the iconic SKZ Water Park water fights. It’s clear how much he means to the group, with one of our fave shots of the film being the part of ‘Blind Spot’ when different members surrounded Changbin and hyped him up without him noticing. You can also see how genuinely happy and excited he is to be onstage, especially when he got too hyped up for ‘LALALALA’ and started his opening verse too early. He’s a true pillar that the group wouldn’t be complete without!
Being a member of Stray Kids comes with a responsibility with the role that I have, so that gives me the motivation and makes me become a more earnest, diligent person. It would be a lie if I said there’s no pressure. But I try to enjoy that pressure as much as I can. […] There might be a sensitive side of myself that is different from the strong image that I portray. And there’s also an emotional part of me, but I don’t see that as being weak.
Changbin
Seungmin
One of our favorite facets we got to see of Seungmin throughout The dominATE Experience is how much passion he has for his craft and for the power of music as a tool for unity and expression. His solo interview discusses his focus on taking good care of himself on tour and getting proper sleep, while one behind-the-scenes clip shows him leaving a group dance practice and immediately going to a guitar lesson on his own. And throughout the actual performance footage, there were several times when he changed up his vocal runs, went over to the band to sing, and even pressed a few keyboard notes himself. You can tell how much his work means to him, which makes it mean even more to us!
When I’m on stage with the members, I realize how happy and sincere I am about this job that I have. Ever since I was young, I could feel the strength of music as being powerful, and its presence must live on. I want to preserve music and believe it’s my role to immerse people in it. Music is my life.
Seungmin
Hyunjin
If we had to describe Hyunjin in a single word, we’d probably choose “aura.” There’s just something so magnetic about him whether he’s painting in his downtime (which we get to see a bit of) or showing off his incredible dance moves in a sold-out stadium. He reflects on his journey as an idol and describes how he’s sometimes scared of showing his “bruises or worries” despite knowing everyone has their own. We love that there was a balance in his solo section between showing that more vulnerable side of him and celebrating the things he loves. In one clip, he does cool nail art backstage with stickers and glue instead of traditional nail art supplies! Between the classic Changbin Salon for hair and the new Hyunjin Salon for nails, STAY will be one of the best-looking fandoms out there.
I guess I never really wanted to be super famous. I just wanted to live my life with STAY. […] “A wounded blade of grass smells sweeter.” I first heard this phrase in 2018, and it still pushes me forward to this day. It felt like it came during a time when I was trying to understand myself. Like it was telling me to hang in there. There are people that support the wounded blade of grass and that’s the reason I exist. And through that, I gained strength to live on. I just want to enjoy the ride while I’m here. Because in the end, it’s only the good memories that remain. The hard parts just fade on their own.
Hyunjin
Bang Chan
First off: Chan, if you’re reading this, please give yourself permission to take a break every once in a while! We get to see some of his workaholic side in action through some clips scattered throughout the film – he was working on his laptop in a green room at Sofi Stadium for quiteeeee a bit, to the point where Seungmin popped in and gave the camera a knowing glance without Chan even realizing he was there. He eventually jumped up and ran out of the room as if he was late for show prep, refusing to let anyone down even if he got caught up in things.
As both the leader of Stray Kids and the self-appointed “leader of STAY as well,” Chan feels like both a confident ringleader and a comforting, steady hand throughout the movie. He noticed Felix wincing during pre-show stretches and immediately checked in to make sure he was okay. On stage, he invited the audience to sing and jump, while seemingly making a point to stand by every member at different moments. He occasionally stood at the back of the main stage while the other boys were out towards STAYs, as if he were taking a moment to appreciate the group and fandom he had such a strong role in building. And finally, he made sure to run to the very end of the barricade to high-five further STAYs before they closed the show. He never stops giving us reasons to love him!
I think one of the most memorable sentences that STAYs would tell me, that I remember the most, would be, “Your music saved my life.” I’m really grateful that I could help out people in need through music. To know that there’s so many people out there that get courage, strength, and inspiration for their own lives as well through our music, or every single one of our members’ personalities, what we think, that really motivates us to do even more in the future.
Bang Chan
We’re so proud of Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin, and I.N for not only the stellar performances in The dominATE Experience, but for all the growth they’ve exhibited throughout their career!
Fellow STAYs, will you be seeing The dominATE Experience at your local theater after it officially comes out on February 6th? Grab your tickets and tell us what you’re most excited to see on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! You can also buzz on over to our Reddit community to chat with us.
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