Guillermo del Toro, responsible for interesting yet flawed vampire flick CRONOS, is definitely a name to watch out for. He makes the faultless transition to America here and gives us a typical monster movie which remains hugely enjoyable despite the rather hackneyed plot. At least the idea of the monsters - genetically modified insects - is rather more original than some other recent creations. Del Toro paints an artistic picture of life in New York - shot through soft brown filters - and has his usual collection of oddball characters, including a boy who plays the spoons. In terms of style, del Toro is one of the best in his field at the present time and is light years ahead of any American competition, although it does take a while for the full impact of the cinematography to hit you.
This film best be avoided by those of us who hate insects, because it doesn't portray them in a good light. From the creepy opening titles - showing a montage of pinned butterflies - to the icky and slimy creatures running around in the subways, they're everywhere, and MIMIC takes every opportunity to zoom in on their ugly features. The film has a good range of actors and actresses in it. Mira Sorvino, in the title role, is a typically tough and yet realistic heroine, and thankfully much less annoying than her counterpart in THE RELIC, Penelope Ann Miller. Jeremy Northam is somewhat bland in his macho leading role but the show stealer is Charles S. Dutton, better known to audiences for his role as the tough Dillon in ALIEN 3, and he here plays a tough, wise-cracking comic relief policeman who finds himself caught up in the activities. Dutton is probably the most sympathetic character of the lot.
As for the action sequences, they are long and varied. Good use is made of the creepy shadows and rubble in the subways, and the best scene of the film comes when the band of survivors group up in a train carriage while the insects attack from outside. The gore isn't excessive but is used sparingly, and therefore more effective. The main fault of the film lies in the high number of clichés and scenes stolen from other countless horror films, a fault which seems to plague cinema these days. Take for example the bit where an insect bursts into the carriage and then disappears under a cabinet, a cross-breed of similar scenes from NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, Friday the 13th and ALIENS. These scenes are numerous and come across as disappointing, as does the tacked-on happy ending where Northam survives the huge gas explosion and they all live happily ever after. Speaking of the explosion, there's a great pyrotechnic display at the end, which really closes up all the loose ends and harks back to horror films from the 1930s such as THE BLACK CAT and FRANKENSTEIN where all creatures and villains met a fiery demise.
However, one great thing MIMIC has going for it are the special effects, which pretty much surpass a lot of what's gone before. The scenes with the insects in their human disguise are chilling, but there's an excellent centre piece where one of them spreads its wings, takes off and carries Sorvino away! CGI obviously plays a big part here and fortunately doesn't look too fake, computer graphics seem to be improving all of the time. The CGI effects are used sparingly and therefore are more effective and realistic than other CGI-fests such as GODZILLA. These flying insects are really something to see and definitely worth looking out for. MIMIC may be simply a new take on an old cliché, but it's a heck of a lot of fun and is simply one of the best-made monster films of the '90s.
