Mimic

In New York a disease carried by cockroaches threatens to wipe out a whole generation of children. A scientist, Susan Tyler, breeds a new bug that mimics the cockroach and wipes out the disease. However years later something is living in New York's subways that looks human. Tyler suspects that her breed has not died out but has evolved to imitate it's natural predator - us. Her investigations into the subway lead her to more than she bargained for.

This is an atmospheric thriller from Guillermo del Toro, director of The Devil's Backbone and Cronos. He manages to mix great director with good old fashioned monster horror to great effect. The concept itself is clever, even if the idea of bugs evolving to look very like humans is a little far fetched. However, once the action moves to the subway the fact that the bugs are clearly lethal no matter what they look like, makes this less important. The film is quite short and makes the action come quicker and seem more urgent. Several people get killed by the bug that wouldn't usually get killed in this sort of horror (children for example), this is very effective as it is quite scary to see the unexpected happen.

The mood is dark throughout and Del Toro uses the sewers and subway to great effect, creating a real sense of claustrophobia - like the humans have entered the bug's world and not the other way round. The bugs are shown early on in the film - usually not a good idea (keep it hidden in the Jaws way), but here the special effects are good enough to make the bug really believable. However the horror is not in seeing the bugs but in they way they hunt and kill - the fear is in what could happen. That's why seeing them doesn't take anything away.

The cast are great, Sorvino especially is very good in the lead. Jeremy Northam and Charles S. Dutton are good in support and Abraham Murray adds a bit of cameo class (though his role is quite unnecessary). But the director is the real star adding some genuine scares and real mood to a film that could have easily been just another creature-feature that goes straight to video and straight to the back of your mind.

Overall a superior creature horror film.

I realize that there have been LOTS of giant bug movies made, but there have been very few that have had a combination of great acting and superior special effects. This movie has both and throw in a lot of suspense. There are great moments in this movie that it seems passed most people by. No, it wasnt a big money maker(I honestly dont remember it hitting the theaters)but it is tremendous movie. Some didnt like the ending, but I did. I came to like these characters so much that I wanted them to survive. Thats a tribute to the actors for creating interesting characters. By comparison to other movies of this kind, I would say it belongs in the top five. If Aliens is counted as a 'bug' movie, I feel it is on top and I would put the 50's ant movie Them up there, too. Mimic belongs there, without question. It deserves so much more than the ratings Ive seen on here. Its a 9 out of 10 in my book.

Eerie film with astonishing images , suspenseful and original direction by Guilermo Del Toro . Three years ago entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) genetically created an insect to kill cockroaches carrying a virulent disease . For thousands of years, man has been evolution's greatest creation , now the insects are out to destroy their only predator, mankind . Susan and Peter (Jeremy Northam) are called in to investigate.

This heart-pounding picture is full of suspense ,thrills , mystery, lots of gore and a storm criticism to genetic engineering . This slick monster-feast is a triumph of style , well paced and full of frightening scenes . It's packed with overwhelming body count , loathing scenes , grotesque killing, and rivers of red blood . Interesting as well as thought-provoking screenplay by Matthew Robbins and the same director ,screenwriters Matt Greenberg and John Sayles are uncredited in the movie, but were credited in some of the trailers . The movie delivers the goods with hair-rising chills and noisy scares when the giant cockroaches appear savagely stalking and attacking its preys , including children . This is an OK amusing juvenile with interesting characters and scientific plot but quite entertaining . It's remarkable for FX recreation the ferocious and carnivorous beast developing a bloodthirsty hunger for human eating . The actors give vigorous physical performances dodging the giant bugs recreated by means of make-up realized by Rob Bottin , adding the prolific computer generator, as usual . The mutant cockroaches , themselves, of course, are the real stars, and they're marvellous terrifying astounding, and quite convincing .The picture is smartly designed and stylishly photographed by Dan Laustsen . Thrilling and intriguing musical score by Marco Beltrani . The motion picture was well directed by Guillermo Del Toro , though the scene where Mira Sorvino and Jeremy Northam walk in the hall with all the sick kids lying in their beds was actually directed by Ole Bornedal, one of the producers on the film . Del Toro delivers the terror movie goods with sense of style , though was originally planned as a single 30-min. short as part of a feature of sci-fi/horror/comedy shorts by Miramax. Director Guillermo del Toro disowned the film after constant clashes with Bob Weinstein, who would frequently visit the set and make unreasonable demands about what should be shot, deviating away from the script , since then del Toro has never worked with the Weinsteins. Guillermo is an expert on murky atmosphere such as proved in ¨Cronos¨ , ¨Pan's labyrinth¨, ¨Hellboy I¨ and ¨Hellboy 2¨. The picture will appeal to horror buffs and Guillermo Del Toro fans . It's followed by two sequels : Mimic 2 with Alix Koromzay , John Polito and Bruno Campos ; and Mimic 3 with Lance Henriksen and Karl Geary .

Just like the giant cockroaches in the movie mimic their predators (humans), director Guillermo Del Toro mimics David Fincher's style in "Seven": gimmicky opening credits, excessively dark photography, constant rain, claustrophobic atmosphere. Nonetheless, it is his superior craftsmanship and visual sense that elevates this otherwise standard, conventional monster movie into an above-average standard, conventional monster movie. He is helped, of course, by a capable cast (Mira Sorvino holds her own as the lead), and by the impressively designed creatures, which look much better than the monsters in some more recent horror films. (**1/2)

Guillermo del Toro, responsible for interesting yet flawed vampire flick CRONOS, is definitely a name to watch out for. He makes the faultless transition to America here and gives us a typical monster movie which remains hugely enjoyable despite the rather hackneyed plot. At least the idea of the monsters - genetically modified insects - is rather more original than some other recent creations. Del Toro paints an artistic picture of life in New York - shot through soft brown filters - and has his usual collection of oddball characters, including a boy who plays the spoons. In terms of style, del Toro is one of the best in his field at the present time and is light years ahead of any American competition, although it does take a while for the full impact of the cinematography to hit you.

This film best be avoided by those of us who hate insects, because it doesn't portray them in a good light. From the creepy opening titles - showing a montage of pinned butterflies - to the icky and slimy creatures running around in the subways, they're everywhere, and MIMIC takes every opportunity to zoom in on their ugly features. The film has a good range of actors and actresses in it. Mira Sorvino, in the title role, is a typically tough and yet realistic heroine, and thankfully much less annoying than her counterpart in THE RELIC, Penelope Ann Miller. Jeremy Northam is somewhat bland in his macho leading role but the show stealer is Charles S. Dutton, better known to audiences for his role as the tough Dillon in ALIEN 3, and he here plays a tough, wise-cracking comic relief policeman who finds himself caught up in the activities. Dutton is probably the most sympathetic character of the lot.

As for the action sequences, they are long and varied. Good use is made of the creepy shadows and rubble in the subways, and the best scene of the film comes when the band of survivors group up in a train carriage while the insects attack from outside. The gore isn't excessive but is used sparingly, and therefore more effective. The main fault of the film lies in the high number of clichés and scenes stolen from other countless horror films, a fault which seems to plague cinema these days. Take for example the bit where an insect bursts into the carriage and then disappears under a cabinet, a cross-breed of similar scenes from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, Friday the 13th and ALIENS. These scenes are numerous and come across as disappointing, as does the tacked-on happy ending where Northam survives the huge gas explosion and they all live happily ever after. Speaking of the explosion, there's a great pyrotechnic display at the end, which really closes up all the loose ends and harks back to horror films from the 1930s such as THE BLACK CAT and FRANKENSTEIN where all creatures and villains met a fiery demise.

However, one great thing MIMIC has going for it are the special effects, which pretty much surpass a lot of what's gone before. The scenes with the insects in their human disguise are chilling, but there's an excellent centre piece where one of them spreads its wings, takes off and carries Sorvino away! CGI obviously plays a big part here and fortunately doesn't look too fake, computer graphics seem to be improving all of the time. The CGI effects are used sparingly and therefore are more effective and realistic than other CGI-fests such as GODZILLA. These flying insects are really something to see and definitely worth looking out for. MIMIC may be simply a new take on an old cliché, but it's a heck of a lot of fun and is simply one of the best-made monster films of the '90s.