You can see from the earliest, elaborately choreographed fight scene that Lee Tae-sung's Mantis is beholden to video game violence: the neatly severed hand, the neatly severed head. Neither has the visuals of realism. Even the looks of the various players are costume-y: Head honcho Cha Min-kyu (Sul Kyung-gu) wears thickly framed architect glasses; star hitman Han-ul (Yim Si-wan) wields two scythes in homage to the titular insect; and female rival and romantic interest Jae-yi (Park Gyuyoung) has tomboy energy and a slacker-rocker hairdo. So when one character claims that "we're not fucking characters in a fucking game," I, for one, did not believe him.
Especially since the central start-up company of assassins is getting sponsored by a video game company called Blood High School, run by prepster Benjamin Jo (Choi Hyun-wook). Naturally, everyone hopes to be King of the Hill -- including former martial arts mentor Dok-go (Jo Woo-jin). Unlike a video game, however, there's no Replay button. The game that's started is the only game in town. Fighting is a way of expressing love, of showing competence, of making friends, and of making money. Sad to say, per the movie's script, "Corporate style murder businesses rarely turn a profit." Mantis may make money, sure, but is it worth your time? Kill Bookson, this is not. (Although it is a spin-off.)
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