Mimic (1997)

User Review

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  TheMovieDiorama

  5 / 10

  Mimic imitates previous creature features but fails to copy their innovation. Low budget horrors were of high saturation during the 90s, as directors attempt to blend CGI with prosthetics to enhance the quality of their films. From 'Tremors' to 'Alien: Resurrection', the combination of sci-fi and horror was particularly popular during this decade. So much so, that Del Toro's first foray into American cinema was exactly that with Mimic. An entomologist releases a species of insects to cull cockroaches that are carrying a disease, however years later these creatures have drastically evolved and are now killing humans. Dank, dark and gloomy, you know it's a Del Toro production when it features characters crawling in sticky residue. The germaphobes and entomophobes among you may feel repelled to watch this, with Del Toro not shying away from showcasing scenes of squeamish nature throughout the "Frankenstein"-like plot. Rubbing insect blood into skin, faces slowly being bitten off and plenty of legs crawling through abandoned subway stations. It relishes in the roots of its sub-genre, but that entertainment does not hold strong for long. The first act starts strong, with concise scientific exploration into the world of insects, featuring a glorious ant colony in the largest glass container I've seen. The narrative plants seeds, inevitably growing into a promising gruesome horror. That promise is shattered once the second act arrives as the pace stagnates almost entirely. Characters go wandering down into sewers or abandoned buildings, giant cockroach creature appears, minimal death sequence, rinse and repeat. The third act slowly picks up but rapidly wastes supporting characters as they are forgotten about or killed off, leaving the uninteresting characters alive. The environment never felt substantial or varying enough, as if the entire film was just a blur of dampness. It lacked memorability and frankly became sluggish. The empty scientific reasoning only adds to the stupid premise, but you roll with it. The serviceable acting and mediocre visual effects still makes this lesser horror watchable.

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