Jang-san-beom

I found The Mimic suspenseful. The jump scares were well executed and not overdone. The acting performances were on point. The camera cutting back and forth to things that are not there helps with the imagination. The creepy little girl was cuteness overload; I adored her. Does the film have clichés? Umm, yeah, pretty much 90% of horror films do. The closet, the mirrors, the voices etc. But here it was very well done and those tropes came in when appropriate in the story. Not just random occurrences like many B-horror films often use. So here they are effective in my opinion. I appreciated the film wasn't campy or riddled with CG. I think the reverse mirror image CG could have been better done.

This one is definitely worth streaming.

A weird mystery horror thriller that tries its best but doesn't deliver, watch once if nothing else is on.

The Mimic was easy to anticipate and this is its biggest flaw. Had so many options, ways to scare, to intrigue and in the end to switch, yet all it did was being linear.

I would not call it abysmal, definitely not an work of art, I do believe Asian Horror cinema has much better movies out there to recommend, but if you are with some friends and all of you are bored, I guess you can give this one a try. Doesn't bring much new, execution is average, acting is ok but also it comes with all the clichees. I got bored at times, waiting for the finale and sadly that was a complete letdown.

Thus I feel like I should warn any potential viewer, The Mimic is not what you would expect, this being said, in a negative way of course. If you must, just know what to expect. Mostly disappointments.

Cheers!

Like other horror movies this one has symbolism in it, which isn't a bad thing if you are willing to accept that. If your going into the movie to expect jump scares and what not, that isn't the main point of this movie. The main focus is a family that is still suffering from the loss of their little boy. Specifically the mother, who can't move on with her life, constantly looking for her son and one simple thing ends up easily setting her off a number of times. It's a movie about dealing with grief and what can come from it when going unchecked. Personally, I enjoyed the movie for what it was. Though it was no top tier movie, I found my self caring for the family and hurt with then ending. I think it's at least worth a watch if your interested in getting into more Korean horror films.

I have a soft spot for Asian horror films. While the movie does move at a slow pace, it does continually build suspense. Sure, there are some clichés in the movie, but a positive benefit is that the movie is without jump scares. Some viewers might find the ending to be "infuriating" as it defers from a traditional feel good ending, but let's be honest here. Most horror movies involve regular people dealing with grief or trauma while simultaneously battling supernatural entities. The movie is ultimately about a woman dealing with grief and trying to keep her family together. The main characters household is charitable to a deadly fault. Ultimately, the woman's grief defies all rational logic as she is continuously warned about the impending perils she's facing. The concept of a mimic, an entity that mirrors the voice of a loved one, may not be the most innovative monster. However, the movie portrays the creature in an interesting way. If you're a fan of Asian movies that deal with human trauma and the supernatural, this may be a good watch for you. One word of caution, this is a horror movie and horror protagonist always make dumb mistakes. The cinematography was great, the acting was believable, but there were no memorable scores or music to really drive it home. Ultimately, I think it's worth a watch if you don't mind a slow build up.