monsieurchariot I was not expecting much from this film. But Mimic proved to be one of the most heart- poundingly frightening features I've ever encountered. Imaginative plot, great acting, arresting special effects, spine-tingling score. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, of Cronos, Hellboy, Blade II and The Devil's Backbone.The story revolves around a lonely young scientist (Sorvino) who genetically tinkers with cockroaches in an effort to stop a sudden disease outbreak in NYC that is killing children. She becomes an international heroine when the plague is defeated, but within three years, a bizarre -- I should say, shocking -- insect mutation problem develops. This film literally made my flesh crawl. Utterly grotesque, repulsive, ghastly proceedings that will scare the living bejebus right out of you! Consider yourself warned.

Amy Adler In Manhattan, children are dying from a new lung ailment, Stickler's Disease, spread by cockroaches. Dr Peter Mann (Jeremy Northam) pleads with an entomology expert, Dr Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) to help him find a solution to destroy or disable the roaches. After viewing kids struggling to breathe, she does so. Using genetic engineering, the lethal insects are modified to stop reproducing. All is well. Or, it is it? Now, three years later, Peter and Susan are married and hoping to start a family. But, we see a mysterious dark being stalk a man and pull him into a sewer. Then, Susan receives a strange, rather large insect from a child, as a swap for money. This "baby" bug only resembles the modified cockroach in DNA. So, somehow the buggers are still reproducing and may be in the sewer system. As Peter, Susan, a shoeshine man named Manny (Giancarlo Giannini) and others (Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton) search for the secrets, what they discover chills the blood. The insects are HUMAN SIZE and mimic their creator, Susan, by appearing as a part insect, part human with powerful wings and claws. Unless they can stop the population, humankind is most likely doomed. Who will win? This stylish "mimic" of Alien is quite compelling but gruesome. Especially troublesome is the death of children at the hands of the bugs, something that usually doesn't happen in horror films and the overall bloody demises of various characters. Yet, even so, don't be scared off if you like science/horror movies. The cast is wonderful, while the artistic images and effects are fabulous. Also worthy are the script and make-you-jump direction. Mimic may resemble Alien, but it can stand on its own as solid entertainment.

thisseatofmars Guillermo del Toro is one of my favourite people. He knows horror, monsters, mood, and truth. This isn't a typical, slick Hollywood horror show. It's a great and moody creature feature ballsy enough to depict two kids getting killed off near the start. That sort of brutal portrayal lets you know *nothing* in the film's universe is safe.I'm charmed by the aesthetic of films like these. Apart from being filled with so much Christian imagery, Mimic features many of the less obnoxious aesthetics of the 90s: tape recorders, kids with their hats on backwards, and a sort of soft grain filter on screen. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it's obvious it was shot the days before HDTV.The Christian imagery present in Mimic is actually something del Toro puts into all his films— even the really great one with the giant robots (Pacific Rim. Go and see!) A lot of the film effuses charm and beauty. There's a three-second shot of a tree of shoes outside of the shoeshiner's apartment that looks sad in the rain. Love it. (That's at the 43:38 mark on my copy of the film, by the way. If I'm going to review this film, may as well be thorough.) Charles S. Dutton plays a cop who sees a turd on the wall and says (not shouts but says) "mutha- f-a" nine times in a row, which elicited giggles. I'm not going to put the time mark down for that one; I want you to find it for yourself. Think of it as a cinematic scavenger hunt. Also, I liked when Giancarlo Giannini's shoe shining character shouted, "I'm-a-gonna give-a-you a good kick in the pants-a!" That was a joke. Sorry, insomnia again. But here's a factoid: the male lead, played by Jeremy Northam, looks and sounds much too much like Bob Sagat. Distractingly so! But he (probably) can't help that. It's not his fault. No. It's not his fault.As darkly charming as Mimic is, it's also one of del Toro's early films, which may explain why it drags sometimes in places. From the get go we *know* the film's about giant bugs. The moment we see him, we *know* Josh Brolin and that aforementioned cop ("But it's my last shift, man!") are going to get killed. (Brolin's death scene is rad, by the way.) And we also know that they're going to solve the problem by blowing up the monsters. Why drag it all out?That big explosion at the end, though? It must be one of the best damn final explosions I've ever seen on film. You just can't beat practical effects.I love del Toro's movies because there's nothing slick about them. Del Toro only takes on ideas for movies that he loves— you can see the love for film in Hellboy, Pacific Rim, The Devil's Backbone, Chronos, and even here, this early work of his, as well. I love your work, Mr. Del Toro; you inspire me. Please lose some weight. I want you to make movies forever.

Paul Magne Haakonsen "Mimic" is one of those types of horror Sci-Fi movies that can be watched again and again, with a few years in between each viewing. And that is because of director Guillermo del Toro managing to put together a riveting story that crawls in under the skin and sticks with you.The story in "Mimic" is about a man-made mutated cockroach variant that were intended to destroy a mysterious disease that were plaguing mankind. But cockroaches are resilient bugs and nature has a way of evolving, leaving the insects out to destroy the only predator that threaten them, mankind.In itself a rather simple storyline, but there are layers to "Mimic" that add to the enjoyment of the movie, such the individual stories and backgrounds of the characters, and the fact that mankind brought about the abomination that they are now facing.This first "Mimic" movie does have some good talents on the cast list, including Mira Sorvino, Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton and even Norman Reedus. The actors and actresses did help make "Mimic" stand out as a good horror Sci-Fi and as a watchable movie.For a movie of this type then the special effects are crucial. And the effects team in "Mimic" did come together quite nicely and came up with some very interesting effects and creature designs. I have always been fascinated with the mimic ability of these insects since the first time I watched "Mimic" back in the late 1990's."Mimic" is an entertaining movie that does hold some good thrills. For a horror movie, then there is actually nothing scary about it. But that is not a bad thing, because the movie is entertaining as a thriller. And director Guillermo del Toro masterfully built up the suspense in the movie quite nicely, a suspense that permeated the entire movie from start to end.