I was very interested in seeing a new movie from Panos Cosmatos, especially given my appreciation for his earlier work, Beyond the Black Rainbow. Learning that Mandy had a larger budget and seemed more carefully planned only heightened my anticipation. However, after watching it, I feel like Cosmatos didn’t live up to the strengths of his first film and instead highlighted some of his weaknesses as a director. This isn't necessarily a negative assessment of the movie itself; it’s just an explanation of why it fell short of my expectations. Besides familiar elements—beautifully stylized shots, a dreamlike and unsettling atmosphere, and a slow, meditative rhythm—Mandy also managed to surprise me in several ways. I really appreciated the writing and performance of the character Mandy, who seemed naturally inclined to dislike and distrust others. Andrea Riseborough did an excellent job, although her appearance struck me as somewhat thin; I’m unsure if she had any health issues at the time, and I usually don't focus on those things, but it felt a bit out of place here. Moving on, what surprised me most was how realistically the cult was portrayed (aside from the biker gang). It seemed they intentionally stripped away any mystique whenever possible. This clashed with the film’s fantastical setting and stylistic choices, which I found confusing. And this feeling didn't change as the movie progressed. The director, it seems to me, even emphasized this contrast further throughout the film. It's worth noting that Nicolas Cage's performance, while excellent, wasn’t the “baroque” style he sometimes embraces, but instead very restrained, adding little to the film’s otherworldly feel. Ultimately, Mandy felt like a movie with significant issues regarding its pacing and tonal inconsistencies, even though each of those elements is strong on their own (the fantastical setting versus the harsh reality of the cult members' actions). The segment involving the chemist, in my opinion, really disrupted the narrative; it almost seemed intentionally awkward, reminiscent of a Tarantino/Rodriguez Grindhouse film—something I disliked about their double feature. Nevertheless, Mandy has plenty of fascinating aspects that make it worth re-watching and isn’t boring or tedious. There's some merit to Mandy’s fascination with pulp fantasy novels and Red's subsequent revenge framed as a fantastical quest, but this idea alone doesn’t do enough to elevate the film. As I mentioned earlier, this approach doesn't quite mesh with the cult being depicted as a group of largely unthreatening and deeply flawed individuals, especially considering that Red easily overcame a much more dangerous and intimidating group earlier on. The movie simply fails to build momentum toward the end, which is what the story and style seemed to demand. Ultimately, it wasn’t the kind of cult film I was hoping for, and I suspect many others felt the same way, given the rather average ratings. It should have been a more energetic, relentless, and wild movie—at least in its final third. It just feels too rigid. Sadly, I think this is more a limitation of Cosmatos than a deliberate artistic choice. My excitement about Cosmatos’ next film has diminished considerably, and it seems he missed an opportunity to establish himself with Mandy. Only time will tell.

Source on TMDB