Mimic (1997)
Directed by Guillermo del Torro
I caught this film on TV by accident and was about to change the channel, but the cool insect themed introduction and the tense music intrigued me, so I stuck around to watch it.
The plot begins with news reports of a disease epidemic killing children, spread by cockroaches in New York City, then reports that a new breed of insect--called the Judas Breed--was biologically created by our protagonists, Dr. Susan Tyler and Dr. Peter Mann, played by Mira Sorvino and Jeremy Northam respectively. The Judas Breed was designed to wipe out the roach population and then die out due to inability to breed. After the recap, we are shown a man being killed by an unknown slasher, hidden in the shadows. As the story progresses, we witness reemerging Judas Breed insects starting to attack people, and it having some connection to the mysterious killer. The film follows Susan and Peter’s investigation into the reemergence of the insects. One particularly annoying horror movie cliché implemented into this movie is a couple of children side characters—played by James Costa (and his annoying front teeth), and Javon Barnwell. The kids go off to look for the bugs on their own, hoping that the scientist lady would give them money if they find the bugs.
The cinematography in this film is particularly noteworthy, since from what I’ve heard, Guillermo del Torro plans every single shot very specifically, which is a method that was also used by one Alfred Hitchcock. This film was very effective, in that it combines the elements of a slasher flick, a psychological thriller and infestation horror. So anyone who’s a fan of slasher films, or is creeped out by bugs should enjoy it, and the psychological thriller aspect creates a constantly dreary and effective atmosphere. The use of thunder, rain and running water is also very prominent throughout the film and adds to the overall mood and the feeling of constant movement.
It is the result of this interesting cinematography, and compelling imagery that makes the movie interesting to watch. Some of the characters are interesting, but most are largely forgettable in the long run. There is also some fairly unconvincing CGI, but it’s pretty standard quality for 1997.
All in all, it wasn’t quite as good as I expected it to be, but then again, it was still pretty interesting. If you feel like watching a slasher/monster flick, Mimic is definitely worth a gander.
7 out of 10
Directed by Guillermo del Torro
I caught this film on TV by accident and was about to change the channel, but the cool insect themed introduction and the tense music intrigued me, so I stuck around to watch it.
The plot begins with news reports of a disease epidemic killing children, spread by cockroaches in New York City, then reports that a new breed of insect--called the Judas Breed--was biologically created by our protagonists, Dr. Susan Tyler and Dr. Peter Mann, played by Mira Sorvino and Jeremy Northam respectively. The Judas Breed was designed to wipe out the roach population and then die out due to inability to breed. After the recap, we are shown a man being killed by an unknown slasher, hidden in the shadows. As the story progresses, we witness reemerging Judas Breed insects starting to attack people, and it having some connection to the mysterious killer. The film follows Susan and Peter’s investigation into the reemergence of the insects. One particularly annoying horror movie cliché implemented into this movie is a couple of children side characters—played by James Costa (and his annoying front teeth), and Javon Barnwell. The kids go off to look for the bugs on their own, hoping that the scientist lady would give them money if they find the bugs.
The cinematography in this film is particularly noteworthy, since from what I’ve heard, Guillermo del Torro plans every single shot very specifically, which is a method that was also used by one Alfred Hitchcock. This film was very effective, in that it combines the elements of a slasher flick, a psychological thriller and infestation horror. So anyone who’s a fan of slasher films, or is creeped out by bugs should enjoy it, and the psychological thriller aspect creates a constantly dreary and effective atmosphere. The use of thunder, rain and running water is also very prominent throughout the film and adds to the overall mood and the feeling of constant movement.
It is the result of this interesting cinematography, and compelling imagery that makes the movie interesting to watch. Some of the characters are interesting, but most are largely forgettable in the long run. There is also some fairly unconvincing CGI, but it’s pretty standard quality for 1997.
All in all, it wasn’t quite as good as I expected it to be, but then again, it was still pretty interesting. If you feel like watching a slasher/monster flick, Mimic is definitely worth a gander.
7 out of 10
