Mandy is a damn good time. Is it anything more than that, though?
How do you make a cult classic? That hasn’t always been a question that filmmakers would even think to ask. By definition, having a cult following means that everyone outside the cult doesn’t really give a shit. The “cult classic” mantle used to be something of a consolation prize for movies that weren’t successful by any meaningful metric, but picked up some steam in the home video market. As much fun as it was to discover a cult movie as a consumer, It was never considered a desirable outcome from a studio perspective. Things have changed, however, and for many years now we’ve seen a portion of releases that are clearly aiming for cult status. I don’t know all the economic and creative drivers that have caused that shift, but in general, as digital media has lowered the barriers to entry for both film production and film distribution, every movie doesn’t have to be a blockbuster. Now there are writers and directors who grew up scouring mom & pop video stores for obscure rentals that they heard about by word of mouth, and it’s natural that they would seek to replicate the experience that they had the first time they came across The Evil Dead or Repo Man. The tricky part is, it’s hard to deliberately make a cult movie. Nine times out of ten, you end up with a hollow film that can’t stop nudging you in the ribs, saying “Hey, get it? Isn’t that cool?” In that regard, Mandy is a success. It clearly sets out to be a cult classic, and it manages to achieve its objective without making you roll your eyes along the way.
Nic Cage, an inspired yet calculated casting choice, is our main protagonist as the hard working and doting husband of the titular Mandy. They live a low key and cozy life together, isolated away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Unfortunately, that remove from civilization opens them up to the ill intentions of a religious cult and the sadist biker demons that they employ from time to time. Mandy ends up kidnapped, and the second half of the film turns into a revenge thriller that finds Cage gobbling up scenery in a series of more and more absurd battle vignettes. It delivers everything you want out of a movie like this with considerable gusto. Director Panos Cosmatos and cinematographer Benjamin Loeb craft a visually stylish feast for the senses, bathed in lush crimson hues. Psychedelic drugs play a large role in the plot, and that concept is mirrored in the fever dream presentation they provide. You could argue that the first act drags a little long, but that ever-present panache keeps it from being boring. The final 45 minutes steamrolls to the climax in a fit of absurd excess.
So, I recommend Mandy for sure. It’s fun and wild and intense. I don’t think I love it, though. We have been blessed over the last few years with a number of horror films that boast powerful metaphors and trenchant themes to chew on. I don’t get any of that here. Cosmatos has spent so much energy on achieving a particular aesthetic, it seems he had none left over to figure out what he actually wanted to say. Now, when that aesthetic is “1984 heavy metal album cover airbrushed on the side of a flat panel van”, you’re going to get a thumbs up from me. Just don’t expect anything beyond that, and you won’t be disappointed.
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