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Mimic (film)

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For similarly titled films, see Mimic (disambiguation).

Mimic
A person in a hazmat suit holding a case and a flashlight in a dark sewer.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byGuillermo del Toro
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Matthew Robbins
  • Guillermo del Toro
Based on"Mimic"
by Donald A. Wollheim
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyDan Laustsen
Edited byPatrick Lussier
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
company
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release dates
  • June 1997 (1997-06) (Fantafestival)[1]
  • August 22, 1997 (1997-08-22) (United States)
Running time
106 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$30 million[3]
Box office$25.5 million

Mimic is a 1997 American science fiction horror film directed by Guillermo del Toro, written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins, and based on Donald A. Wollheim's short story of the same name. The film stars Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Josh Brolin, F. Murray Abraham, and Charles S. Dutton. Its plot follows the creation of a genetically modified insect, designed to battle an infected cockroach infestation, that rapidly evolves and begins attacking humans.

Produced by Dimension Films and distributed by Miramax Films, Mimic premiered at the Fantafestival in June 1997, and released theatrically on August 22. It received middling reviews from critics, and only grossed $22.5 miillion on a budget of $30 million. Additionally, del Toro disowned the theatrical cut, stemming from clashes over creative differences with Dimension/Miramax heads Harvey and Bob Weinstein, later releasing a director's cut on Blu-ray in 2011. Two direct-to-video sequels followed, Mimic 2 (2001) and Mimic 3: Sentinel (2003)

Plot

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In New York City, cockroaches are spreading the "Strickler's disease" that is killing hundreds of the city's children. Unable to develop a cure for the disease, Dr. Peter Mann, deputy director of the CDC, recruits entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler. Dr. Tyler uses genetic engineering to create the "Judas breed", a hybrid between a mantis and a termite that releases an enzyme which accelerates the roaches' metabolism. This way, the roaches burn calories faster than they can nourish themselves and thus starve to death. The roaches carrying the disease are eradicated, and Peter and Susan later marry.

Three years later, a priest is chased and dragged underground by an assailant. The only witness is Chuy, a boy who refers to the attacker as "Mr. Funny Shoes" to his disbelieving guardian, an immigrant subway shoe shiner named Manny. Later, two kids sell a "weird bug" from the subway to Susan, which she performs tests on, and realizes it is similar to the Judas breed. Initially, she believes that this is impossible since the specimens she released were all female and designed with a lifespan of only a few months, which should have ensured that the breed would die off after a single generation. Before she can examine the insect further it is stolen by a figure who escapes out the window. After informing the police, she consults with her mentor, Dr. Gates, who autopsies a larger specimen found in the city's sewage treatment plants, and finds that its organs are fully formed, meaning the Judas breed is not only alive but has developed into a viable species, with a colony underneath the city.

Looking for more valuable specimens, the kids go down the tracks where they find an egg sac and are then killed by the same assailant. Meanwhile, Chuy enters the abandoned church of the dead priest to find "Mr. Funny Shoes" and is abducted. Peter, his assistant Josh Maslow and MTA officer Leonard Norton enter the maintenance tunnels to investigate. However, Peter and Leonard get stuck and send Josh for help. Susan encounters a shadowy creature in a trench coat on a train platform. She approaches the figure, which unfolds into an insect the size of a human being. The creature abducts Susan and carries her into the tunnels. Meanwhile, Josh finds a way out but is found by a Judas and killed. Manny also enters the tunnels in search of Chuy and comes across Susan, whom he rescues along with Peter and Leonard, and they barricade themselves inside a train car.

Susan surmises that the Judas breed's accelerated metabolism has allowed them to reproduce at an accelerated rate, causing them to evolve over tens of thousands of generations within only three years, developing lungs, allowing increased size, and the ability to mimic their human prey. The group formulates a plan to get the car moving: using the remains of a dead bug to mask their scent as they work, Peter will switch the power on, and Manny will switch the tracks. Susan projects that the Judas will spread throughout the tunnels and overrun the city unless they manage to kill the colony's single fertile male. While trying to reach the track switches, Manny finds Chuy who has survived due to his imitating the clicking noises the bugs use for communication. However, before they can escape Manny is killed by the male Judas. Susan, realizing Manny has been gone too long, goes in search of him but finds only Chuy. Leonard's injured leg starts bleeding heavily and knowing the smell will incite the creatures and endanger the group, he creates a diversion that allows the others to get away, before being killed. Peter finds a dumbwaiter and puts Susan and Chuy in it, but stays behind to destroy the breed for good. He is chased into a room where hundreds are nesting and blows them all up by setting fire to a loose gas pipe, before diving underwater to safety.

The male Judas escapes the blast and goes after Chuy but is distracted by Susan, who lures it into the path of an oncoming train, which runs over it. The two make it to the surface, with Susan assuming that Peter had died in the blast. She then sees what appears to be another Judas, only for it to be revealed to actually be Peter alive and well. The three then reunite and embrace one another.

Cast

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Production

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Casting

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The character of Manny was originally written by Guillermo del Toro for one of his favorite actors, Argentinian Federico Luppi, whom he directed in Cronos (1993). However, Luppi's English pronunciation was not good enough for the film, so del Toro chose Giancarlo Giannini instead; in a 2013 interview del Toro confirmed the story and stated that what he misses the most about working in the Spanish language is the possibility of directing Luppi, for whom del Toro professes the utmost admiration.[4]

Two of the film's actors, Josh Brolin and Alix Koromzay, had previously starred in Nightwatch, another Dimension/Miramax horror film from 1997.[5] Its director, Ole Bornedal, served as a producer on Mimic.[6]

Filming

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Principal photography occurred in Toronto, Canada, due to the city's similarities to New York.[7] The film includes several examples of del Toro's most characteristic hallmarks: "I have a sort of a fetish for insects, clockwork, monsters, dark places, and unborn things", said del Toro,[8] and this is evident in Mimic, where at times all are combined in long, brooding shots of dark, cluttered, muddy chaotic spaces. According to Alfonso Cuarón, del Toro's friend and colleague, "with Guillermo the shots are almost mathematical — everything is planned".[9]

Miramax and Dimension Films bosses Bob and Harvey Weinstein repeatedly clashed with del Toro over creative differences.[10][11] After Harvey saw early footage, there were fights between him and del Toro regarding the tone, with the former claiming the film was not scary enough.[12] It has been reported that one day Harvey was so infuriated with del Toro that he stormed onto the Toronto set and attempted to instruct del Toro on "how to direct a movie", and later tried to get him fired.[12] Following an intervention from lead actress Mira Sorvino, Weinstein backed down, and principal photography would be completed with del Toro as director in early 1997.[12] Producer B.J. Rack later compared making the film to "being a prisoner of [a] war camp",[12] while del Toro stated in 2018: "The only time I have experienced bad behaviour, and it remains one of the worst experiences of my life, was in 1997, when I did Mimic for Miramax. It was a horrible, horrible, horrible experience".[13]

Release

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Director's cut

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The Weinsteins insisted on having control over the final cut, thus del Toro was not granted final cut privilege and later disowned the theatrical cut, but states that "Mimic is visually 100% exactly what I wanted...The movie is visually gorgeous and it has a couple of sequences I’m very proud of.".[10][11][12] In 2010, del Toro revealed that he had been working on a director's cut of Mimic and said: "It’s not exactly the movie I wanted to do, but it definitely healed a lot of wounds... I am happy with the cut".[14] The director's cut runs for 112 minutes, six minutes longer than the theatrical release. It was released in 2011, initially exclusive to Blu-ray and is now available via various digital services, but has never been widely available on DVD.[15][16]

Reception

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Box office

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According to Box Office Mojo, its domestic gross is $25,480,490; it did not recoup its budget of $30,000,000.[17]

Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 65% of 49 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Mimic finds director Guillermo del Toro struggling to inject his unique sensibilities into a studio picture – and delivering just enough genre thrills to recommend."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[19]

Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half stars, saying "Del Toro is a director with a genuine visual sense, with a way of drawing us into his story and evoking the mood with the very look and texture of his shots. He takes the standard ingredients and presents them so effectively that Mimic makes the old seem new, fresh and scary".[20]

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C−" on an A+ to F scale.[21]

Sequels

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Main articles: Mimic 2 and Mimic 3: Sentinel

Two sequels followed, Mimic 2 (2001) and Mimic 3: Sentinel (2003), for direct-to-video release. Alix Koromzay reprises his role for the former, although neither feature the involvement of the original's creative team.

TV series

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In 2020, a television adaptation/reboot was announced to be in development, with Paul W. S. Anderson directing the pilot. Anderson and Jeremy Bolt are executive producers, along with Jim Danger Gray who will also be showrunner of the series.[22]

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Mimic was planned as one of three 30-minute short films intended to be shown together. It was expanded into a full-length movie, as was Impostor (2001). The short film Alien Love Triangle remains a 30-minute short film, but has never been released publicly.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Edizione Fantafestival | Fantafestival".
  2. ^ "Mimic (15)". British Board of Film Classification. March 9, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  3. ^ "Mimic (1997)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  4. ^ Guillermo del Toro: “I have no interest in normal superheroes” 2013-07-17, Clarín (in Spanish)
  5. ^ "Nightwatch (1997) Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  6. ^ Petrikin, Chris (September 12, 1997). "Miramax picks 'Rose'". Variety.
  7. ^ By JANET MASLINAUG. 22, 1997 (August 22, 1997). "The 6-Foot Cockroach, Waiting for the Train - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ "theDISH » The Dish - Maintenance Mode". The Dish. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  9. ^ "The Three Amigos of Cha Cha Cha". Nytimes.com. April 26, 2009. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Rowe, Bob (September 2, 2022). "Film at 25: "Mimic" a Rare Misfire in Guillermo Del Toro's Remarkable Career". InSession Film. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Sharf, Zack (October 12, 2017). "Guillermo del Toro 'Hated the Experience' of Working With Harvey Weinstein on 'Mimic'". Indiewire. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d e Adam White (October 6, 2017). "Harvey Scissorhands: 6 films ruined by Harvey Weinstein". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  13. ^ Geoffrey Macnab @TheIndyFilm (February 7, 2018). "Guillermo del Toro interview: 'I think adversity is good – that is very Catholic of me'". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 15, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  14. ^ "Toronto Q&A: Guillermo del Toro". Deadline Hollywood.
  15. ^ "Mimic (1997) DVD comparison". DVDCompare.
  16. ^ "Mimic (1997) Blu-ray comparison". DVDCompare.
  17. ^ "Mimic (1997)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  18. ^ "Mimic (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  19. ^ "Mimic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  20. ^ Roger Ebert. "Mimic". rogerebert.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  21. ^ "Home - CinemaScore". Cinemascore. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 4, 2020). "'Mimic': TV Series Reboot Of Sci-Fi Thriller Movie In Works At Miramax TV With Paul WS Anderson Directing". Deadline. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  23. ^ Kermode, Mark (February 15, 2008). "Aliens come to Wales". The Guardian. London.
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