Mantis – Inspired by the World of ‘Kill Boksoon’ (2023)

[Carrotlina]

I did not enjoy Mantis as much as I wanted. The fights were well shot, but the story was thin. Han-ul is written as if the audience should already care, but his personal history is not given enough space. By the end, I felt like I knew the rules of MK Enterprises better than I knew him. That imbalance weakened the impact.

 

[Younghee]

I think the film works best if you view it as a companion to Kill Boksoon, not as a standalone. The callbacks, the symbols, the tone all depend on familiarity. As a sequel-like project, it is fine. But on its own, it does not have strong enough legs. I rate it closer to the IMDb score than the MDL one.

 

[Maw_Marcello]

What I liked most was how Mantis showed the danger of hesitation. Han-ul hesitated—he wanted to leave, he wanted to take a break, and that pause cost him everything. In a violent world, stopping to breathe is already a risk. That message stayed with me even after the film ended. It is less about action and more about how killers cannot afford to want normal lives.