This review may contain spoilers
A waste of great casting
I went into Mantis mainly for the cast, and honestly, that was the only reason I managed to sit through the whole film. If it weren’t for them, I probably would’ve dropped it halfway. The action scenes were flashy and entertaining at times, but the storyline was such a letdown that it made the movie feel like a waste of talent.
The story follows Han-ul, also known as “Mantis,” a legendary assassin famous for his skill. After taking a break from the killing world, he comes back to find his former company, MK Enterprise, in chaos following the death of its leader. From there, the film throws us into a power struggle where killers fight to claim the top spot. Han-ul starts a company with Jae-yi, his long-time friend, supporting her from the beginning and even requesting his chairman to give her a chance. However, their venture doesn’t last long, as Benjamin, a wealthy and manipulative young CEO, convinces Jae-yi that being Han-ul’s vice-chairman is a loss for her, prompting her to open her own company. Another retired assassin, Dok-go, also enters the fray, raising the stakes and making the competition even more intense.
On paper, this setup had so much potential. A story about rival assassins, power struggles, betrayal, and twisted loyalty could have been thrilling. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn’t there. The plot often felt messy, rushed, and sometimes illogical, leaving me more confused than invested. Instead of building strong character arcs or an emotional backbone to the story, it leaned too heavily on stylized action sequences that, while fun in the moment, didn’t carry the weight the movie clearly wanted them to.
What made it worse is how underutilized the incredible cast felt. With such a lineup of talented actors, you expect sharp writing and layered storytelling to back them up. Instead, the weak narrative wasted their potential, and even the dynamic between Han-ul and Jae-yi didn’t get the development it needed. Their friendship could have been the heart of the film, but it was overshadowed by plot holes and forced twists.
That said, I can’t deny the action scenes were entertaining. They were choreographed well enough to keep me from shutting the movie off completely. But action alone can’t carry a movie when the story feels this hollow. By the end, I wasn’t satisfied—I just felt like I had watched a film that could’ve been great but fell short because of poor storytelling.
Mantis isn’t the worst movie out there. I don’t really recommend it, but you can watch it if you want to see the cast in action or if you just want some flashy fight scenes.
The story follows Han-ul, also known as “Mantis,” a legendary assassin famous for his skill. After taking a break from the killing world, he comes back to find his former company, MK Enterprise, in chaos following the death of its leader. From there, the film throws us into a power struggle where killers fight to claim the top spot. Han-ul starts a company with Jae-yi, his long-time friend, supporting her from the beginning and even requesting his chairman to give her a chance. However, their venture doesn’t last long, as Benjamin, a wealthy and manipulative young CEO, convinces Jae-yi that being Han-ul’s vice-chairman is a loss for her, prompting her to open her own company. Another retired assassin, Dok-go, also enters the fray, raising the stakes and making the competition even more intense.
On paper, this setup had so much potential. A story about rival assassins, power struggles, betrayal, and twisted loyalty could have been thrilling. Unfortunately, the execution just wasn’t there. The plot often felt messy, rushed, and sometimes illogical, leaving me more confused than invested. Instead of building strong character arcs or an emotional backbone to the story, it leaned too heavily on stylized action sequences that, while fun in the moment, didn’t carry the weight the movie clearly wanted them to.
What made it worse is how underutilized the incredible cast felt. With such a lineup of talented actors, you expect sharp writing and layered storytelling to back them up. Instead, the weak narrative wasted their potential, and even the dynamic between Han-ul and Jae-yi didn’t get the development it needed. Their friendship could have been the heart of the film, but it was overshadowed by plot holes and forced twists.
That said, I can’t deny the action scenes were entertaining. They were choreographed well enough to keep me from shutting the movie off completely. But action alone can’t carry a movie when the story feels this hollow. By the end, I wasn’t satisfied—I just felt like I had watched a film that could’ve been great but fell short because of poor storytelling.
Mantis isn’t the worst movie out there. I don’t really recommend it, but you can watch it if you want to see the cast in action or if you just want some flashy fight scenes.
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