In 1994 Manhattan, the threat of disease-carrying cockroaches wiping out a whole generation of children is high. Entomologist Susan Tyler is called to task, and through some genetic engineering, creates a new breed of insect called the Judas breed, which is designed to release enzymes that will kill off the roaches by increasing their metabolism. Shockingly, this works. Susan is met with high praise, and she tells others that the Judas breed should die off in about 6 months, given that only one male was produced. Three years later, people are disappearing in and around the subway system of New York. Susan and her colleagues suspect that maybe, just maybe, their little experiments have survived, and perhaps, been evolving.
1997's Mimic was something I had always wanted to see, but never gotten around to. I always confused it with a similar sounding film released that year, The Relic, though both are obviously different. This is a pretty fun, though a tad bit dated, Sci-Fi Creature Feature horror film. Director Guillermo Del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth, Hellboy 1 & 2), who also co-wrote the screenplay, certainly knows how to set the tone right, and some of his famous trademarks which I had seen previously, are represented here pretty well (i.e. his hatred of kids, bizarre but fascinating monsters).
The film's creatures are a mix of CGI and practical effects. As expected, the practical ones are gooey, gross, and just flat out creepy at times. I imagine that back during it's original theatrical run the CGI looked better to audiences, because now it looked a tad bit too obvious. Speaking of creepy, I was a bit surprised at how tense I was for part of this. I mean, it IS a movie about killer insects, and yet I felt quite nervous for the characters involved. Good directing I guess.
The film does have some problems, such as Mira Sorvino (who, by the way, looks remarkably like Jenna Fischer...or is that the other way around?) being a bit flat here and there, but she isn't really bad either. Charles Dutton, though entertaining, was pretty much playing a character right out of the "Big Book of Black Stereotypes" as a loud, rambunctious cop. But this is a monster movie, so it's a tad bit hard to critique most of the performances here. And man, I know most of the third act takes place in the sewers, but DAMN was this film dark.
I enjoyed Mimic as being good fun, even if Del Toro himself has expressed disappoint in the film over the years. I do know that a Director's Cut was just released on Blu-Ray not that long ago (and there are two sequels, neither of which I have a strong desire to see), so maybe I'll end up seeking that out just to see how much was really tampered with. But for now, the theatrical run is a-okay in my book.
Tomorrow, maybe I finally follow my parents' advise and turn off the damn TV...that is, after I watch TERRORVISION.
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