Mandrake || A gripping movie lacking mystery!
When I saw the poster for the 2022 movie Mandrake, I was briefly transported back to my childhood. The first illusionist and magician I watched was nicknamed Mandrake.
I used to follow Mandrake (the magician) with interest when there were a few television channels and I used to wait hours in advance for the programs he would appear on. I think it was 2014, he was one of the local well-known artists that I was saddened to learn of his death.
I was not indifferent to the movie poster that made me remember such complex emotions and I watched the movie. Of course, as is often the case, I was misled by the poster. There were no illusions or magic tricks in the movie as I expected.
The movie Mandrake, which has a gripping and somewhat frightening story, is about the events that took place in a privately owned forest area close to a small town, some of which are urban legends and some of which are true.
Although the fact that the character, who is the root of the problems in the story of the movie, is not hidden and left open by the screenwriter and the director reduces the pleasure of watching the movie to some extent, I can say that it is worth watching with its gripping feature.
Of the three main characters in the movie, Mary Laidlaw (Bloody Mary) stood out the most and I liked her the most. The fact that she returned to her private property right after serving more than 20 years in prison for her past crimes and picked up where she left off, all the while being on probation, was a bit of a shadow on the story.
At those moments, I wondered if the movie would have been more interesting if the perpetrator of the crimes hadn't been so publicly exposed. The plot and the forested area where the movie was shot were great, and when you have achieved such greatness, it becomes my inevitable expectation to expect it to be better than good... because I want the movies I watch to be better than good without overdoing it...
As I said, the Mandrake movie is quite satisfying in terms of subject matter and location, but it could have been extra delicious if a little mystery was added while presenting the psychological tension. A small detail in a movie with potential can be too disturbing.
Another thing that occupied my mind after watching the movie was the simple but in some cases vital details such as whether you really have to sacrifice other things in order to have something or not.
When I watch a movie and it stays with me for a while, I watch it again in the following days. I will probably watch Mandrake again because it has occupied my mind a lot... but on the re-watch I will criticize the mystery that was not included in the movie again because it was the only and quite important missing element in the movie.