Mouse; A Masterpiece or A Mess?
The best way to describe screenwriter Choi Ran’s "Mouse" is somewhere between a masterpiece and a slightly disjointed mess in certain parts.
It’s wrong to entirely slander that " Mouse" wasn’t a good series. Without a doubt, the main cast were absolutely brilliant. ( Especially Lee Seung Gi’s hauntingly profound portrayal as Ba Reum, truly defining his talents as an actor.) Additionally , " Mouse" arguably had some of the best character development seen in a mystery- crime series in a long time. The portrayal of psychopaths felt haunting for the most part, whilst main characters Ba Reum ( Lee Seung Gi) and Mo-Chi ( Lee Hee Joon) had some shockingly profound character developments and twists. Even seemingly superficial side characters in the beginning such as Oh Bong-yi ( Park Ju Hyun) and the suave Choi Hong-ju, or " Sherlock Hong-Ju" ( Kyung Soo-Jin), had a lot more to their characters than first meets the eye.
However whilst it would be easy to give this drama a decisive ” 10/10” and write it off as flawless , it is undeniable that it isn’t without its faults either.
" Mouse" is undeniably a collection of surprising twists and turns which soon become a little disorientating. Whilst rooted in real—life depictions of a serial killers with a slight "fantasy twist" intriguing plot points soon become slightly predictable and mundane in the latter part. It was almost as though screenwriter Choi was running low on ideas ( despite the endless supply of unanswered questions left open for viewers) and decided to group together a cluster of feverish flashbacks, dismiss more intriguing characters peppered throughout the storyline and manoeuvre deux ex machina solutions for the resulted ending.
So, is " Mouse" actually worth watching from all the hype? This depends a lot on personal preferences. Whilst not flawless and a little clunky in the second-half, "Mouse” was undeniably filled with good acting, intriguing plot, characters and profound themes.
Was this review helpful to you?