Mantis Yim Si-wan as Lee Han-ul in Mantis. Cr. Cho Wonjin/Netflix © 2025
From Kill Boksoon creator Byun Sung-hyun & author/director Lee Tae-sung, Mantis is the much-anticipated spinoff from the South Korean murderer thriller Kill Boksoon that was a surprise critical hit for Netflix again in 2023, garnering a “Recent” ranking (79%) on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has additionally racked up virtually 28 million views since its launch making it one of the vital profitable South Korean Netflix Unique Movies to this point.
Kill Boksoon led its viewers into an murderer underworld led by the most important & most prestigious group, M.Okay. Ent, and their chief, Cha Min-kyu (Sul Kyung-gu). Through the occasions of the unique movie, Cha Min-kyu & his chairman sister, Cha Min-hee, had been taken out by their greatest murderer, Gil Bok-soon (Jeon Do-yeon), leaving the group in disarray with a risk of full destruction.
On a script co-written by Kill Boksoon’s Byun Sung-hyun & Lee Tae-sung, Mantis rejoins this universe within the fast aftermath of MK’s downfall; a brand new world the place the principles of conduct for the key society of contract killers have been solid apart and the splintering of former corporations & alliances has destroyed the construction that stored this world in verify. Nobody is aware of who will emerge to fill the ability that MK held over the business or if MK will nonetheless exist underneath new management.
Enter: Mantis (Squid Recreation standout Yim Si-wan). A younger, extremely expert, however extremely pompous MK agent and former colleague of Gil Bok-soon, who returns from trip to the newly collapsed order of the employed killer business. Upon studying of what has transpired, he seeks to create a brand new firm along with his fellow trainee Jae-yi (Fellow Squid Recreation star Park Gyu-young) whereas looking for the counsel and potential reveals from his mentor Dok-go (Narco-Saints star Jo Woo-jin), who has come out of retirement to reclaim MK after being compelled to retire from the corporate years in the past.
With a lot uncertainty and an influence vacuum created after the heads of MK Ent had been taken down, Mantis, Jae-yi, & Dok-go all appear to have one thing to show as they try to take excessive spot within the contract killer recreation.
The fantastic thing about Kill Boksoon was that it’s a centered story about one elite murderer’s disaster of conscience as a contract killer with strict guidelines & obligatory assignments who’s studying to be extra true to herself from her relationship along with her daughter. The movie builds up Boksoon’s advanced relationships along with her longtime boss & her daughter till she is compelled to decide on between them by the story’s finish.
Sadly, whereas choosing up instantly after the actions of Boksoon, Mantis doesn’t share the identical focus and character constructing that made the unique succeed. This spin-off takes arguably the least compelling facets of Boksoon, the principles/punishment/energy construction of the murderer world, and makes it the spine of their story. Within the unique, these parts had been a worth add to the mystique of MK and created the construction for the advanced state of affairs Boksoon and her boss discover themselves in following her refusal to pretend the suicide of a younger faculty child. In Mantis, these parts appear so as to add extra dialogue about work distribution & unemployment amongst killers than they do to constructing the movie’s three predominant characters to a fever pitch for business domination.
As for the movie’s characters, Mantis already appeared an odd alternative for the spin-off’s protagonist from its outset on condition that he was solely talked about as “on trip” within the first movie with none further element of his skills or stature within the MK rankings, however along with his identify on the marquee and Boksoon taking a backseat, you’ll determine he can be the younger inheritor obvious that may take the mantle because the “greatest knife” within the enterprise. However the movie feels extra content material with making him a robust fighter with a comfortable spot for his MK coaching faculty rival Jae-yi, turning his brash, flashy upstart beginnings shortly into mush.
Image: Netflix
Whereas his motives are noble and candy, Mantis appears to haven’t any motivation apart from that of satisfying Jae-yi’s wants. Even the movie’s conclusion leaves you questioning if all of his actions & sacrifices put him in a greater place than the place he began. Jae-yi has one thing clear to show within the movie and feels very akin to the story of Dok-go. I’d virtually relatively see a film about her because the lead, climbing her means again after being let go by MK, after which attempting to take it again when they’re at their most determined. The “will they, received’t they” of Mantis & Jae-yi doesn’t work a lot in any respect. The film hinges on its success and suffers for it.
If you’re a fan of Kill Boksoon, as I fully am, you in all probability got here to this movie hoping for a brand new murderer with a killer story to take up the ability that Boksoon destroyed in her wake, full with the identical unbelievable blade motion and balletic actions. Whereas the motion could be comparable at occasions, the story doesn’t examine. As an alternative, we see a dizzying, poorly paced story about standing, damaged allegiances, & the challenges of relationships in a violent business, with a central character that takes a backseat for over half the sub 2-hour runtime. Jae-yi could not need his pity, however we additionally shouldn’t be put able to pity him both. Within the one job of justifying a universe-expanding spin-off character film, the Boksoon Cinematic Universe didn’t rise to the problem. Await the battle highlights on Netflix’s YouTube web page.
Watch Mantis If You Preferred
- Kill Boksoon
- John Wick
- Squid Recreation
- Ballerina (Netflix-South Korea)
- Carter
MVP of Mantis
Motion Administrators Website positioning ji-oh Lee & Seong-Cheol Ryu
Although the story, pacing, & characters don’t measure as much as Kill Boksoon, it doesn’t imply we will’t have a great time with weapons!
Longtime stunt performer turned director/choreographer Website positioning ji-oh Lee (Rebellion, #Alive) & newcomer Seong-Cheol Ryu introduced inventiveness, artistic staging, & the signature agility and athleticism of the franchise to each scene they directed. 3 means fights, nasty kills with lacking limbs, Mantis’ sickles! For this reason we love these films.
Don’t anticipate the standard writing, themes, & motivations of Kill Boksoon, however at lower than 2 hours and equally stable struggle choreography, South Korean motion followers (and “Squid Recreation” followers I suppose) could discover one thing to love in Mantis.
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