Review: What we have here today for review is the blu-ray release of the Mimic trilogy which is one trilogy that I think gets overlooked and not treated fairly when it comes to films like it. I will let you know now that I have not seen either of the sequels going into this review and also I hadn't seen the original Mimic in around 14 years which in alot of ways makes it like a first time view. I hope you find this review enlightening so please read on to see what i thought of this series!
Mimic- Three years ago, two young scientists teamed up to save New York City
from an roach-borne
epidemic that was killing thousands of children. Their miracle of
genetic engineering was the Judas Breed, an insect whose enzymes proved
deadly to the disease-carrying roaches. However, their creation has come
back to haunt them, altering the balance of nature and tipping the
scales in favor of the insects. The thing created in the lab has
changed, and now, out there in the city it has begun to mimic the most
dangerous predator of all, humans. It has been about 14 years since I saw this film back in 1998 on VHS and at that time I enjoyed it but I think I actually enjoyed it even more this many years later.
As many of you may already know this film was directed by Guillermo Del Toro who has brought us so many other great films. In this film Del Toro takes the classic creature feature and combines it with a modern feel and look. Most people without really watching the film and just reading the synopsis would think that Mimic is just another B grade sci-fi horror flick with bad acting and cheesy monsters. If you thought that you would be dead wrong. instead what you get is a very well done and well crafted sci-fi horror film that delivers on the creepiness, scares, atmosphere, tension, and overall acting. The way they do the creatures in Mimic is very much like they did in Alien, not in the sense of the way they look but in the way Del Toro only shows you bits and pieces and most the time shadows of the creatures throughout most the film. Which leads to some very tense scenes.
Like I said the acting is good in this film. You have Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men), Mira Sorvino (The Replacement Killers), Charles S. Dutton (Alien 3), and many others. The one character who stole the show for me was a kid whose character was named Chuy and he seemed to autistic and he could mimic and sound pattern and was obsessed with shoes. Now as far the creatures in the film go they did a pretty good mixture of CGI and practical effects. Which in the end came out looking good. They mostly used the CGI when the creatures had to move alot which look dated compared to modern CGI but worked well for this film and the time it was made. Overall this was a great film and does need to be seen by any sci-fi or horror fan who has not ran across it yet!
(Video: 4.5/5, Audio: 5/5, Special Features: 5/5)
Mimic 2- This chapter in the Mimic trilogy I had passed up when it was released due to lack of interest at the time. The plot in this one is quite basic. Mimic 2 starts off a short time after the first film and follows science teacher (Remi from the first film) who is very much into studying bugs, 2 students, and a police officer. This time around the creatures have evolved into something even more deadly and they are now using human faces to add to their disguise. This sequel is different in alot of ways. First being that it goes at a much faster pace and goes more for the body count. To me that kills the atmosphere and tension that you experience in the first film. Also there is not much in the way of character development, for the most part each character is thrown into the mix without really getting to know anything about them besides very basic things. The only one that really gets much of any background is the teacher. Lets just say there is alot of throw away characters.
Don't get me wrong i did find myself wanting to see the teacher and the 2 students make it through the film alive. Like I mentioned before there is a lack of atmosphere and tension which made watching the first film alot more enjoyable and kept me on the edge of my seat. Now I am not going to say that this is horrible film or sequel because it does follow the original film well but it just doesn't have the impact that original had. I would say check this out if you are a fan of the original, but don't expect anything amazing or mind blowing.
(Video: 4.5/5, Audio: 5/5, Special Features: 3.5/5)
Mimic 3: Sentinel- In a decaying neighborhood, asthmatic and allergic amateur photographer
Marvin Montrose spends his days and nights confined in his room,
snooping on his neighbors in the next building with his camera. When a
boy disappears in the spot and then the local drug dealer Desmond,
Marvin suspects a mysterious garbage man and his sister Rosy and her
friend Carmen investigate. Meanwhile, Marvin witnesses the death of
Detective Gary Dumars and a stranger on the street by two mutant Judas
Breed insects and discloses that their prime suspect is the CDC Agent
Kirchner. In this final chapter in the Mimic trilogy we get a story that plays out like the Hitchcock film "Rear Window". To me that has became a classic way to go with a film when done right. In this case I think they did a good job.
Now a setup like that for a film does make it one that most viewers could predict what was going to happen before it does. Which I think is fine in this case. I found that some of the tension that you got with the first film is back in this one, namely when they investigate the apartment of the supposed killer as well as when they show the view of Marvin's camera when he is not there to see the gruesome acts the judas bugs are committing. There is from time to time when Marvin is behind the camera and he could get a good shot of something like a bloody handprint on a window left by the bug but he doesn't do so and all you can think is what the hell is he doing! Especially when he witnesses a detective getting killed.
Another thing they did right in this film aside from the great tension is a good cast that has 1 name I admire which is Lance Henriksen (genre film legend) and 2 that I am quite familiar with Amanda Plummer (Pulp Fiction) and John Kapelos (the Breakfast Club). The rest of the cast is great as well with Karl Geary (The Burrowers) as Marvin, Alexis Dziena (Wonderland) as Rosy and Rebecca Mader (The Devil Wears Prada) as Carmen. Overall there really was no bad performances at all in this film. The only problem I had with this sequel was that it clocks in at 77 minutes from start to finish and that is including credits and seems like it should of been about 15 to 20 minutes longer because when it finally gets to the action it seems very much forced in the way of going as fast as it can and getting it ended way to quickly. Basically the ending felt very rushed.
Overall this was not too bad of a finale to the Mimic trilogy and was made quite well and didn't feel cheap like other direct to video sequels or films that companies like The Asylum or Syfy Channel put out all the time. J.T. Petty did a good job of bringing back some of the feel from the original but took it in his own direction.
(Video: 4.5/5, Audio: 4/5, Special Features: 4/5)
-Daniel "Damnation" Lee
Directors: Guillermo Del Toro (Mimic), Jean De Segonzac (Mimic 2), J.T. Petty (Mimic 3: Sentinel)
Genre: Horror/Sci-fi/Thriller
Blu-Ray Release Year: 2012
Original Theatrical/Home Release Years:1997/2001/2003
Time Length: (Mimic)112 mins., (Mimic 2) 82 mins., (Mimic 3: Sentinel) 76 mins.
Company: Dimension Films/Lionsgate
More Screenshots:
MIMIC
MIMIC 2
MIMIC 3: Sentinel
