Mimic 3: Sentinel

Direct-to-video sequels. Good gravy. I personally have no issues with films that end up skipping a theatrical release and go straight to video. Some of the best movies end up taking that route. But usually the reason for them not getting a theatrical release is because the movie was made on a very small budget and the studio doesn't feel that it doesn't deserve a theatrical release, and in most cases it's true. Worse still, are direct-to-video sequels to a film that DID get a theatrical release, limited or otherwise. Starship Troopers got two DTV(direct-to-video) sequels, and not one of them were good. Feast got two sequels and only the third movie was half-decent. The Crow had ONE sequel go to theaters, the other two? DTV. Hellraiser? 3 theatricals and 5 DTV. Some of these sequels were given to films that you would think didn't need one. The original film ended in a way that was satisfying and concluded the story. Apparently, some of the studio heads didn't think so. Guillermo Del Toro's Mimic was released in 1997 to mixed reviews and wasn't what Del Toro wanted to release due to studio interference. But a lot of people seemed to have liked it enough, but it just vanished off the radar. In 2001, Mimic 2 was quietly released to home video. There's a reason for that, I think. It was a terrible film. I didn't review it, because I fast forwarded through most of it, it was so boring. The visual effects were okay, but the concept and execution? Horrendous. 2003 saw the release of the final Mimic film, Mimic 3: Sentinel, also DTV, but it actually ended up being a much better film than Mimic 2.

Mimic 3 opens as an apparent Peeping Tom, Marvin(Karl Geary) is taking pictures of random people in an apartment complex across the street. That is until he notices something bizarre on the street below, after witnessing a child going into an alley and disappears. Marvin is a survivor of the strickler's disease that ravaged New York in 1997. Unfortunately, Marvin is stuck in his room because of the disease. He's also on Oxygen. The only contact with the outside world is his sister, Rosy(Alexis Dziena) and his mother, Simone(Amanda Plummer). After noticing another apparent murder, Marvin notices a strange garbageman(Lance Henriksen) in the area who may or may not know something about what's going on. As the body count begins to rise, Marvin realizes that the Judas Breed from 1997 has survived and is killing people.

One of the things that this installment has going for it, is it's Rear Window vibe, where you have a single person that's watching everything going on from his home. There's a bit of helplessness going as Marvin is a physically fragile person and is unable to actually do much aside from telling people what's going on. Most people, including the police don't believe him. Taking a cue from the original Mimic, Sentinel, while bloody isn't overly gory. There's a good deal of restraint. The creatures themselves aren't too bad, outside of some poor CG(due to budget limitations no doubt), when the creatures are in their full glory. Close up shots involve a guy in a suit who happens to be the film's visual effects person(Gary J. Tunnicliffe). While the film is confined to basically just a few rooms, the tension actually builds, especially when Lance Henriksen's character comes into the picture. We don't know much about his character, except that he helped work on the Judas Breed. Say what you will about some of the movies that Henriksen's been in, the man is a living legend, having appeared in some of the biggest films like Terminator, Aliens, and Near Dark, among others. He always manages to bring a legitimacy to the material that he's working with, even if the film is direct-to-video crap. Henriksen always manages to make it entertaining. Overall, Mimic 3 actually manages to be a fairly decent DTV effort. Is it a good movie? Not really, but I definitely appreciate the approach they took to it, and it manages to be kind of intense, despite being silly at time. Even Guillermo Del Toro himself kind of liked it, which really says something about the film. If you must have more Mimic, skip the dreadful second movie and go for this one instead. The film was directed by then-newcomer J.T Petty. He actually did a decent job here. Come for the bugs, stay for Lance Henriksen. Mimic 3 gets a solid 8/10.