Mimic (1997)

Starring - Mira Sorvino; Jeremy Northam; Alexander Goodwin; Giancarlo Giannini & Charles Dutton Director - Guillermo del Toro MPAA - Rated R for terror/violence and language. Mira Sorvino stars as a bug expert in this science fiction horror film. A deadly plague, spread by cockroaches, breaks out and is wiping out the children of New York City. Bug-friendly Mira develops a new strain of bug using genetic engineering to wipe out the roaches and stop the spread of the deadly disease. When the killer bugs have done their job they are supposed to die out, and apparently that is just what happens. Except, a few years later it seems as though they hadn't all died, and those that survived have evolved into something big and nasty and have multiplied quite rapidly. Now they are living down in the sewers and old subway tunnels under New York, and emerging when they get hungry to prey on the human population above ground. To make matters worse, these overgrown insects have developed a unique kind of camouflage which enables them to pass themselves off as humans long enough to easily lure their prey into being a human happy meal. It then is left up to Mira, her boyfriend and a New York transit cop to stop the insects. Nothing about Mimic really makes it any different from any other monster film that I have ever seen. The special effects are pretty good in terms of the big bugs, but they certainly don't reach out and grab you (pardon the pun). They are nowhere near the groundbreaking quality of the original Alien. I will give the film points for the nifty concept of the bugs developing the camouflage to pass for human. That alone is one of the more original ideas that I have seen in a film of this nature. It makes it stand out just a bit more in a genre that sadly lacks a whole lot of original ideas. I'll also give Mimic points for a showdown between Sorvino and friends against the bugs, which takes place in abandoned subway tunnels under the city. It is one of the better sequences that I have seen in a while in a horror flick. Sorvino also deserves some praise as the heroine of this movie. While she doesn't quite compare to Sigourney Weaver in the Alien films, she does manage to hold her own while doing battle with her mutated creations. And, on a purely sexist male note, she looks damn good doing it. The rest of the cast is competent, but no one really distinguishes himself or herself. With the possible exception of Charles Dutton, playing the subway cop who becomes a less than eager tour guide to the bug busters as they make their way through the subways. Mimic is the type of movie that you rent on a Saturday night for some light entertainment. Just don't rent it with real high expectations. It's far better than most of what you are likely to find on the shelves of the horror section of your local video store, just don't expect it to become a classic any time in the near future. 6/10 Reviewed July 31, 1998 by Joe Chamberlain