Wuchak RELEASED IN 2015 and directed by Guillermo del Toro, "Mimic" is a nature-runs-amok movie about a Manhattan entomologist (Mira Sorvino) who genetically creates an insect with a virulent disease to kill cockroaches. Three years later these insects have evolved into man-sized creatures with an uncanny ability and are bent on wiping out their only predator, humankind. Jeremy Northam plays her hubby while Charles S. Dutton appears as a subway cop and Josh Brolin as (I think) a detective.It is said that you shouldn't allow your mistakes to bring you down; after all, even God made the cockroach. All joking aside, this is a serious creature feature with a dark tone similar to "The Relic," released the same year. I mean 'dark tone' both figuratively and literally, as the proceedings take place at nighttime in the city or in the underground tunnels. Thankfully, it's not as dark (literally) as "The Relic." The creatures are top-of-the-line and are just as good, if not better, than the best movie monsters you can cite. Unfortunately, there's very little human interest or interesting subtext to draw one into the events. The characters are mostly forgettable while the mindfood amounts to "Don't fool with mother nature." But I do like how the story turns into a survival situation in the tunnels by the third act wherein the protagonists have to use their wits to survive. If you love cockroaches (and who doesn't?) you'll like this movie.THE MOVIE RUNS 105 minutes and was shot in Toronto with some stuff done in Los Angeles. WRITERS: Matthew Robbins & del Toro wrote the script from Donald A. Wollheim's story.GRADE: C+/B- (5.5/10)

Predrag This is an atmospheric thriller from Guillermo del Toro, director of "The Devil's Backbone" and "Cronos", who manages to mix great direction with good old fashioned monster horror to great effect. The concept itself is clever, even if the idea of bugs evolving to look very like humans is a little fa-fetched; however, once the action moves to the subway the fact that the bugs are clearly lethal no matter what they look like, makes this less important. The film is quite short and makes the action come quicker and seem more urgent. Several people get killed by the bug that wouldn't usually get killed in this sort of horror (children for example), this is very effective as it is quite scary to see the unexpected happen. The mood is dark throughout and Del Toro uses the sewers and subway to great effect, creating a real sense of claustrophobia, like the humans have entered the bug's world and not the other way round. The bugs are shown early on in the film - usually not a good idea (keep it hidden in the "Jaws" way), but here the special effects are good enough to make the bug really believable, yet the horror is not in seeing the bugs but in they way they hunt and kill, but the fear is in what could happen. The cast are great, Sorvino especially is very good in the lead. Jeremy Northam and Charles S. Dutton are good in support and Abraham Murray adds a bit of cameo class (though his role is quite unnecessary). The director is the real star, adding some genuine scares and real mood to a film that could have easily been just another creature-feature that goes straight to video and straight to the back of your mind.A few things I didn't like about this film was some of its more subtle things. Mira Sorvino was playing an entomologist, yet when she studies or investigate specimens, she takes no logical safety precautions. The same recklessness occurs repeatedly for her and every other cast throughout movie. Things like touching bugs that likely carry unknown diseases with your bare hands, or when they go underground to hunt for the roaches without any type of scientific or safety equipment is just very illogical to me. To think that in the beginning of the movie, the city undergone a catastrophic epidemic that were spread by roaches and for them to go on the rest of the movie every time without any planning or taking precaution is just unthinkable. The plot was nicely written and the story flowed well, but the reckless actions from supposedly "experts" just kills it. It doesn't just happen once or twice, but every single time. A number of scenes also seemed very forced and felt like they were put there just so the story can continue the way the director wanted, yet they made no logical sense.Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

NateWatchesCoolMovies Mimic is an early outing for renowned wizard of imagination Guillermo Del Toro, and one that was severely hampered by the studios, namely the vile ghoul Harvey Weinstink. Despite an ending which Del Toro hates, I absolutely love the film. I grew up with it the way it is and enjoy it for the story it has, regardless of any qualms its creators have with it. It's a lovely throwback to the creature features of the 1950's, with Del Toro's own unique, high concept flair. And what a blast of a concept for a sci fi monster flick. When the New York cockroaches start carrying a deadly virus that's killing children, a scientist (Mira Sorvino) genetically engineers a mutant breed of insect to kill off the infectious ones. Her plan works, but there's just one problem: they have both bred and evolved into something monstrous. Many insects use mimicry as a defence mechanism or a predatory lure. These ones become so advanced and massive that they can imitate the silhouette of a shadowy human figure. Terrifying, right? Not the kind of thing you'd wanna run into in a dark alley on your own. They lurk around dank areas of the NYC subway system, preying on vagrants and anyone who comes near them. Pretty soon word gets back to Sorvino, who realizes her mistake and attempts to find, confront and stop the creatures. It's schlocky, yet has a specific biological order and symmetry to the things which go bump in the night, which is Del Toro's trademark, really. He always gives his otherworldly beasts such a sense of purpose and functionality to captivate us. Jeremy Northam plays Sorvino's boyfriend, along for the spooky ride, as well as F. Murray Abraham as a kindly professor, Charles Dutton as a wise cracking cop, Giancarlo Gianninni as an Italian shoe shiner, a brief Norman Reedus and a scene stealing Josh Brolin as a sarcastic Detective. It may not have everyone's seal of approval, and hold the stigma of being the black sheep in Del Toro's stable, but it's got merits in my books. It's got a boundless imagination, one of the creepiest, smoke machine infested New York City settings in the horror genre, and above all knows how to have fun.

wes-connors Cockroaches are causing a modern-day plague in New York City. Long, dark hospital halls are filled with rows of foreboding beds, containing doomed children. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief when beautiful entomologist (bug expert) Mira Sorvino (as Susan Tyler) cross-breeds a predator to kill the roaches. This would be celebrated even if the roaches weren't killing everyone's kids. Everyone is happy with Ms. Sorvino's remedy. She hooks up with handsome Jeremy Northam (as Peter Mann) and thinks about having children of her own. But, wait… something has gone wrong! "Judas Breed" was supposed to be unable to reproduce – and they were scheduled to disappear completely around six months after killing the roaches. Apparently, they stuck around and grew into huge, hungry critters...Stylishly produced and directed, by Guillermo del Toro, "Mimic" is an engaging horror suspense story...The special effects and story fit together well and the monster effect is well-designed. The film startles with early developments, then becomes fairly predictable. You may not always know who's going, but you should be able to figure out who's coming back. Suffering from severe potty-mouth, Charles S. Dutton (as Leonard) is most obvious. Less so are Giancarlo Giannini (as Manny) and young Alexander Goodwin (as Chuy). While the insect effect is very good, some of the science could have been more realistic. The worst moment may be when Sorvino's presumably brilliant character states humans evolved from apes. Scientists smart enough to evolve insects would know humans and apes possessed common (DNA) ancestors. Apes do not "turn into humans" – except, maybe, in the movies...****** Mimic (8/22/97) Guillermo del Toro ~ Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Charles S. Dutton, Giancarlo Giannini