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Mimic | 
| Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Actors: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Alexander Goodwin, Giancarlo Giannini, Charles Dutton
Category: DVD
Buy Used: CDN$ 38.74
Rating:  23 reviews
Format: Import, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Italian (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
EAN: 4012050544980
ASIN: B00004RYFB
Theatrical Release Date: August 22, 1997
Availability: Usually ships within 1 - 2 business days
Condition: Mailed from Los Angeles,USA, or Germany. It takes 1-4 weeks for delivery.Because of tax reason NO USA address SHIPPING
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| Editorial Reviews:
From Amazon.com
An ultracreepy blend of horror and fantasy (think of it as IBeauty and the Bugs/I) from Mexican director Guillermo del Toro (ICronos/I) about giant cockroaches in the subway tunnels beneath Manhattan. Like its DNA-altered spawn (the title refers to the way some insects evolve to resemble their predators), IMimic/I is not your everyday bug picture, but a more poetic (though quite gruesome) sort of film, literally crawling with bizarre, striking images. In this case, the mutant bugs are not the result of evil atomic experiments (as in IThem!/I), but are the unexpected side effect of work done by an entomologist (Mira Sorvino) and her Center for Disease Control officer husband (Jeremy Northam), who, in a last-ditch effort to control a roach-carried disease epidemic that was killing children, released a genetically altered form of sterile cockroaches beneath the city. They stopped the virus, but... Also starring Charles Dutton, Giancarlo Giannini, F. Murray Abraham, and Josh Brolin. I--Jim Emerson/I
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| Customer Reviews: Read 18 more reviews...
Life finds a way, sometimes you wish it couldn't! July 13, 2004
Kali (United Kingdom)
I'm fussy about the horror/sci-fi I watch but Mimic I actually quite liked.pThe plot it not overly complex, a scientist finds a cure for a terrible disease but at a cost that no one is aware they are going to have to pay at some point in time.pEnter a couple of years later two scientists (one who found the cure and her husband), a shoe cleaner/cobbler and his autistic grandson who live near a train station where the horror that is lurking in the form of insects that can mimic human form are hiding out, a world weary security guard and the usual monster insect fodder (people in lay man's terms!) and you have a surprisingly intelligent film.pA bit on the gruesome side at times but quite suspenseful and it certainly makes you jump when you least expect it. The scene in the old train carriage is quite heart stopping and the boy actor who plays the autistic child is especially good with his savant ability to know people by the sound of their footsteps along with the size and make of shoe they wear.pIt gets a solid four out five and is definitely a film you'd watch with your pals unless you are very brave and totally scare proof which by the way I am not!
 The Perfect Horror Movie. July 8, 2004
Stuart Winer (Boston, MA USA)
The giant roaches are terrifying. They're as gruesome and sinister as anything on the screen since the first ALIEN movie. I hate, hate HATE bugs these guys were done so well here that I could barely watch - the filmakers should be very proud.pIt did turn corny towards the end, but the whole story was excellent and exactly what I expected. This may be Mira Sorvino's best work a must-see for people interested in B-Horror movies as an artform. This isn't Shakespeare, but it's paint-by-numbers at the highest level. I'm glad it was such a success with the sequels, etc.
Evolution has a way of keeping things alive. June 30, 2004
cookieman108 (Inside the jar...)
Probably the one thing that shocked me the most about Mimic (1997) was learning that New York City has a cockroach problem. I mean, I've been to NYC and it seemed really clean to me, but then again my eyesight isn't what it used to be probably because I spent a lot of time staring at the sun as a child. Mimic, the first mainstream film directed by Guillermo del Toro, who later did Blade II (2002) and Hellboy (2004), stars Mira Sorvino (yowsa), Jeremy Northam, along with co-stars Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton, and F. Murray Abraham (am I the only one that finds the use of an initial in place of a first name annoying?)pAs the film begins, we quickly learn, through some deft directing, of an incurable, often fatal, sickness running rampant in New York City that seems only to effect children (won't somebody think of the children?!) Anyway, after determining that it's the cockroaches that are acting as carriers for the disease, Dr. Peter Mann (Northam), from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), calls in entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler (Sorvino) to help deal with the problem. The solution? A genetically enhanced super roach engineered to not only emit secretions that increase the metabolism of the common roaches, thereby causing them to starve to death, but also designed to have a limited life span. The cure works, killing off the pesky varmints, and thus eliminating the transmission element of the disease, and saving an entire generation of children. Doctors Mann and Tyler are heroes, saviors of the wee ones (the children, not the roaches) and soon after develop a romantic relationship. Everything seems hunky dory, that is until three years later, when it's discovered that the super roaches, who weren't supposed to live beyond their specified genetic programming, have since evolved into something much worse than anyone could have ever imagined...pI really enjoyed this film, despite a few minor points. The story, developed by Toro and Matthew Robbins, along with un-credited writers John Sayles and Matt Greenberg, from a short story by Donald A. Wollheim, is exceptionally strong for the most part, creating a fun and engaging plot ripe with tension-filled twists, turns, and a healthy dose of scares. I did find the symbolism within the story, with regards to religion (the super roaches being called 'The Judas' breed, and Sorvino's self-infliction of a wound on her hand with a cross to draw blood and lure the creatures away) to be overly obvious, but not so much to take away from the overall enjoyment to be had here. I was surprised at a few points, one in particular dealing with the two boys who would collect bug samples for Sorvino's character, often traveling in less than hospitable places. See the film and you'll understand what I mean. The characters were well developed, with maybe the exception of Brolin and Abraham's roles. I do really like F. Murray Abraham, as he's an excellent actor, but he seems relegated to a very minor role here, as a former teacher of Sorvino's character, one she visits, perhaps seeking absolution, after her creation goes terribly awry. I felt Brolin's character, as a police detective seemed a bit pointless given his brevity on screen. Charles S. Dutton was a very good choice in his role as a cop working within the transit system, becoming involved in the hunt, soon becoming the hunted, of the overdeveloped creatures, but this is the sort of role I've seen him in many times before, as the blue collar everyman who steps up. I think he's shown that he's much more than that in other roles, but seems to fall back in these types of roles a little too often, in my opinion. As far as Sorvino, well, she really manages to carry the film well, infusing a lot of humanity within her character, presenting a sense of realism so often missing in films like this. Plus, she's a scrumptious babe, and extremely easy on the eyes, and I admired here willingness to get completely dirty and funkified for this film, crawling around in filth during her underground scenes. As for Jeremy Northam's performance, I just didn't care for it all that much. He's a handsome man, but his character seemed to alternate between being annoying and being somewhat useful, more often former than the latter. Toro's direction is wonderful, and much more than I expected in a picture like this. Despite a few 'in your face' scares, common to slasher type films, the tension was extremely well developed here, as was the atmosphere, especially while the characters were within the dank, dark, slimy, grimy sewers and derelict subway passages. There is a good amount of grossness within this film, so if you have a problem with great gobs of greasy, grimy guts and exceptionally large roaches, you should probably avoid this film. The special effects were superb, and extremely realistic. I loved the element of the film that related to the title, and the relationship to the creature's evolution. Is there a level of predictability here? Sure, but the movie did such a good job keeping me engaged throughout, I had little time to focus on who I thought would buy the farm, and who would survive until the end.pThe wide screen print here looks really good, although I thought the audio was a bit soft at times, but English subtitles are available. Special features are sparse, listing only a theatrical trailer. One thing I didn't like was the way the film automatically starts playing once the disc is inserted into the DVD player, skipping the main menu, displaying it only after the film ends or if the viewer selects the menu option during play. The popularity of Mimic was enough to spawn two sequels, both direct to video, Mimic 2 and Mimic: Sentinel aka Mimic 3, neither of which are half as entertaining as the original.pCookieman108
 Talk about Cheese-ball! April 28, 2004
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Talk about cheezy.brSomeone needs to tell these moviemakers, even these B-movie makers, that scientists ARE NOT YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL AND HANDSOME. They are invariably old and crusty, or if they are young at all, they are inveterate nerds. But not in our Logan's Run society, where unless you're under 30, you don't qualify as an actor. This is irreality at it's worst. Mira Sorvino IS NOT, COULD NEVER, be an entomologist. The other pretty model characters could not be what they are supposed to be. Julianne Moore's role as an archaeologist in Lost World was just about as bad an example of a Logan's Run society as Sorvino's here.brLook, becoming a scientist involves LOTS of college; lots of college involved LOTS of studying; lots of studying involves saying the heck with your appearance, eat junk food, stay up late, do whatever it takes to get this degree--all of which makes you an ugly nerd.brCheck out almost any scientist and you will find they typically have radio faces as opposed to ridiculous, Baywatchesque tv faces which we are subject to by these stupid moviemakers.brBring back the realism of sci-fi cult classics like Andromeda Strain where the scientists ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE SCIENTISTS. Wow. A little realism. Even in a B-movie, a tad little bit of realism goes far. brThis movie resembles a cartoon in it's casting, more than it does real life.brOh, and yes, it is very, very, very predictable.brEverybody dies who is supposed to die.
Enter the Judas Breed March 9, 2004
Joshua Koppel (Chicago, IL United States)
Strickler's disease is killing the children of Manhattan. No cure can be found so experts tackle the disease at the source: cockroaches. Roaches have their DNA combined with termites and mantids to create the Judas Breed. They are short-lived and deadly to other roaches. Epidemic ended.pBut years later, events start happening that point to the Judas having survived and become far nastier. They are now man-sized and have two plates that when put together look like a human face. The bugs are breeding beneath the streets and they are discovered by the team that created them and a transit guard.pThe group is stuck far beneath the city and they must do everything they can to stop the bugs and get word out.pSome excellent acting and interesting characters make this big bug movie stand above the rest. While there are B-movies in its parentage, this is better than a B-movie. Check it out.
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