Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

So the movie plot is pretty good. It's about an epidemic from cockroaches which was contained by the release of a new genetic bug, Judas, which should have only 6 months left to live once released. But they survived for 3 years and even developed lungs. They started mimicking the humans.Okay now that's good and all, but most of the exciting bits happened in an abandoned subway tunnel, where (obviously) is dark. So even though it was well played, well carried out etc, the fact that it was half dark made it hard to see anything. You can see glimpses of the action, but that's it. If you're a horror fan and you have night vision eyes, this is the perfect movie for you.

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.

Three years ago, entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) genetically created an insect to kill cockroaches carrying a virulent disease. Now, the insects are out to destroy their only predator, mankind.This film is loved by some people and that is clear by the sequels it received. Exactly why is unclear, as it is rather average and not a highlight of 1990s horror. Specifically why Del Toro disowned it is not known to me, but it does have to rank among the lowest of his career, so that is not surprising.There are some good concepts. The idea of genetic modification is always popular for a science-gone-wrong story. And we also have the idea of an invasive species: introducing a species to remove an old one, only to to find the new ones has things we may not like about it.

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