Mimic

Guillermo Del Toro is an interesting director. Most of the movies he's directed are a combination of science fiction, fantasy and horror. The man who gave us Pan's Labyrinth, also gave us the Hellboy movies, Blade II, Cronos, and a rather underrated thriller called Mimic. I don't think a lot of people payed attention to Del Toro until Blade II was released. After that, he really started picking up steam. But one of his more unusual films, Mimic was released in 1997 to mixed reviews. Del Toro himself was unhappy with the version that was released to theaters. But that was because the studio execs kept changing things on him and rejecting his ideas, and eventually brought in 2nd unit directors to give the film more "scares" and more action. It certainly wasn't his intent. I'll get to that later.

The film opens in New York City as hundreds of kids are in the hospital due to a lethal disease called strickler's disease. The disease was carried by cockroaches in the sewers beneath the city. To combat this epidemic, Dr. Susan Tyler(Mira Sorvino) created a new breed of cockroach, dubbed the Judas Breed, and released it in the sewers. As a result the roaches carrying the disease were destroyed and the disease eradicated. Fast-forward 3 years, Susan is married to fellow scientist and CDC employee, Dr. Peter Mann(Jeremy Northam). During a routine investigation Dr. Mann and his assistant, Josh(Josh Brolin) discover a slavery ring underneath a local church, which is infested with cockroaches. Later, Susan gets a unique specimen from a couple of local kids. Turns out that the Judas Breed that she created has survived and evolved. Enough to the point where the bugs are mimicking us. In an effort to keep the bugs from spreading they enlist the help of a local cop, Leonard(Charles S. Dutton) to help them navigate the tunnels beneath the city.

The story is actually pretty decent for a bit of a monster movie. The creatures themselves are actually uniquely designed and really pose a threat. And with the exception of some shots, mostly practical. You don't actually get a good look until much later in the movie when the creatures attack some kids in the subway. Now, given that this is a creature feature, you should expect really creepy monsters, and I don't think there's anything creepier than a cockroach, except maybe spiders. The acting is actually very solid all around with Mira Sorvino playing the sexy, yet intelligent Susan Tyler. This is one of Josh Brolin's first real big roles and he's not only convincing but funny as well. Charles S. Dutton. What can I say about the man? He inhabits every role that he takes on. From his roles in Alien 3, Rudy and Mimic to movies like Legion, he elevates the film with a powerful and intimidating presence, which makes it sort of funny when you see him freaking out in Mimic. I don't think anyone else could have handled the character as well as he could.

Now, in a monster movie that's rated R, you would expect it to be pretty gory. While there are moments of SOME gore, you really don't see a lot of intestines being torn out or heads being ripped off, it's not that kind of movie. It gets pretty gross at times with slime and shit everywhere(literally).

Things got really hairy between the director and the execs during the production of the film, and the film that ended up in theaters wasn't what Guillermo Del Toro wanted. The execs wanted more cheap scares, while Del Toro opted for a more atmospheric film. So, the execs hired 2nd unit directors to edit and toss out some of the stuff that would've made a better movie with. This being released in the 90's, also meant that you weren't allowed to have kids killed on screen or animals for that matter. And while there is the argument that "less-is-more" is more artistic than the stuff that you actually see, in a monster movie, you need to see what these creatures are capable of. For the Blu-Ray release of Mimic, most of Del Toro's stuff that he shot that was discarded has been reintegrated into the film, which includes a sub-plot that involves a slavery ring, and more on Susan's attempts to get pregnant. One of the scenes that I had just mentioned where two kids were killed on screen, was also put back into the film. Most of the crap that was filmed by the second unit directors has been discarded in favor of a more atmospheric creature feature, and it actually works better this way. Granted the last act of the film borders on cliche, it's still a visceral and exciting ride. Granted, even with this new director's cut, the film isn't perfect. Certain characters are just bystanders and some of the CGI effects simply just don't stand up as well today. The practical effects still do, though. While Mimic certainly isn't Guillermo's best film, it's still a solid film with solid performances and an atmosphere that still sends chills down my spine. I just wish that Guillermo Del Toro was allowed to make the film that he really wanted to make. Overall, this new director's cut is several steps above and beyond the original release and I give it a solid 9/10.

As a side note, there were two direct-to-video video sequels that were made. On the commentary on the Blu-Ray, Del Toro mentions these films and says while the first sequel was absolute crap, he actually liked the third film. Having seen the second film, I agree with his assessment on that film. I have yet to see the third film however. I will post a review as soon as I do. The original film stands on it's own as a decent sci-fi thriller and deserves to be seen. Just make sure it's the director's cut.