Review of Mimic (1997) by Christopher S — 31 Oct 2011

Directorial duds. That's what I like to call a film like Mimic. It's when a great visionary, Guillermo del Toro in this case, misses the mark and delivers us a flop. The ironic thing is that del Toro will admit that Mimic is his dud. He disowned this film out of shame for what it became. It was a film that got away from him and was left to the studio to ruin with their revised endings and watered down script. Guillermo del Toro is a passionate director who loves art and loves film, so more than anything I just feel sorry for him that his project escaped him and became something he resents. I suppose that is just the Hollywood way, as sad as it is.

But moving on from the sad, sad tale of a man betrayed, Mimic is a sci-fi horror film about giant bugs trying to eliminate the one threat they have left, mankind. The film begins three years before present day when Dr. Susan Tyler created the Judas bug to kill off cockroaches carrying a virus that was killing children. The Judas bug was a complete success and in a way Susan saved the world. Jump ahead three years and the Judas bug as evolved into some kind of monster, adapting to the world and becoming eerily human like. It's up to Susan, her husband, and an angry black security guard to stop this exoskeletal threat.

What surprised me about this film is that it is actually pretty boring. The setup is slow and dull and all the build up to the final battle against the bugs is surprisingly lackluster. I can't call this film incredibly intelligent. It has a decent storyline that sort of flat lines after setting the stage for what the film will be about. It has a dull script and sub-par actors that don't carry the film well. The first two thirds of the film just seem to amble along at a pretty dead pace, never exploding and never really grabbing hold of my attention. Things just sort of happen. They don't elicit any emotion and nothing in the beginning made me go, "Wow. That was creative." For the first two acts of the film Mimic is sort of just there.

The film really picks up in the last act though. The end of the film takes place in an abandoned subway station where the bugs are nesting and building their numbers. This dark and eerie set piece is the perfect place for a thrilling ending to the film. del Toro directs with a textured and visceral quality. He really knows how to capture thrills and he structures the final act of Mimic very well. There are some great moments in the mysteriously spooky underground that do well to satisfy an appetite for awesome bug versus man action. There are also numerous moments of shining creativity that remind me that I am watching a del Toro film. Those subway scenes are wonderfully imaginative and they exemplify why this is a del Toro film. It is everything else that runs awry and makes me think I'm watching another cheese eaten sci-fi from some no name Hollywood hack.

The cast more or less doesn't do much to disappoint. Everyone puts forth an above average, not great but not poor either performance. The best of the bunch being Charles S. Dutton who does a great job as the Police Officer who is unlucky enough to be the "CDC's" underground tour guide. Mira Sorvino at times is also very good and does the best with what she got. Josh Brolin as always does a fine job and F. Murray Abraham impresses in his all too short role. Jeremy Northam and Giancarlo Giannini provide good performances. There response to nearly being eaten by bugs really is believable and both of them were able to behave scared and at times strong without over reacting.

I was prepared to call Mimic a so-so film that could have been a lot better. I was ready to finish out my thoughts on the movie by saying that this is a film that shines in some areas and lacks in others. I was prepared to say that it wasn't terrible, but it was certainly no masterpiece. Then the ending came along. The final two shots of the film filled me with so much frustration and aggravation that I had to resolve my opinion and call this a bad film. There were enough redeeming qualities for me to call this a decent film, but then it had to go and ruin it all with the stupidest ending imaginable. I couldn't believe it and I couldn't continue to call this a good film. It is a disappointment, overall, with only a few good things going for it. However, I have read that this wasn't the ending del Toro intended and I completely believe that. I would love to see the 100 percent del Toro rendition of Mimic, but for now we are stuck with this unfortunate losing film.