Customer Reviews

Mimic 3 - Sentinel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

When you rent a Dimension straight to video project, you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes you'll find a rare gem but most of the time it won't even be worth remembering. Remember all those PROPHECY sequels? That's what I thought. Anyway, I'm happy to say that MIMIC SENTINEL falls into the rare gem category. I had absolutely no idea what to expect with this one nor do I know why I even rented it after hating MIMIC 2 so much and the fact that I'm not even that big of a fan of the original. But I'm glad I did.

It goes something like this. Strickland disease (which was established in the first film) survivor Martin (Karl Geary) suffers from extreme environmental sensitivity making it hard for him to leave his room in the apartment he shares with his mother (Amanda Plummer) and his sister, Rosy (Alexis Dziena). So, he obsessively takes photographs of the world outside his window and, as you might have guessed, eventually learns that the Judas Bugs are back once again. While it's absolutely no mystery that the plot of this film borrows more than a little from Alfred Hitchkock's REAR WINDOW, the film really works. While I've always found the MIMIC bugs rather creepy, this film seemed to really capitalize on that and make a genuinely scary, suspense building movie out of them.

Rookie filmmaker and screenwriter (he also wrote and directed the as of yet unreleased indie SOFT FOR DIGGING) J.T. Petty has what it takes to tell a good story and make an entertaining film. Instead of trying to make a crappy film that requires more money than he had to work with, Petty made a good, small film that was within his means. By getting rid of a lot of the special effects (even though there are a few) and different locations, Petty lets the viewer become engrossed in the characters and lets them feel the paranoia that Marvin experiences. Instead of just watching the film, the viewer becomes a voyeur right along with Marvin. Later in the film, even after Marvin's voyeuristic journey is over, the director shoots the film with a blackened ring around the corners of the TV as if your now watching Marvin from an apartment across the street as Marvin did to others earlier in the film. For me, this worked to great effect. I felt like I was watching someone in danger and wasn't getting up to do anything about it. While I felt the whole Lance Henrisken aspect of the film was a bit unnecessary, for the most part the film really worked for me. So as for director J.T. Petty, I'm going to place him in my directors to watch book. I mean, if he can make a good sequel to a movie about giant bugs then I'm convinced he's capable of anything.

C+

I've never been a big fan of the mimic series. The premise, bugs that have evolved to imitate humans, is intriguing, but I never thought it was realized in a compelling way.
This movie however, brings some interesting elements to the otherwise lackluster series. Karl Geary plays a homebound man, Marvin, afflicted with the remnants of the same disease that the bugs were created to destroy. From his room in his mother's apartment, he photographs his neighbors and lives, through them, the life he cannot otherwise live.
Then he and his sister (Alexis Dziena) spy what they believe is a murder, in classic Rear Window fashion, but the police don't believe them. Most of this short (76 minutes) movie is spent staring through the lense of the still camera, through which Marvin views the world, with a sudden, violent climax, in which horror movie favorite, Lance Henriksen (Aliens, Alien 3) plays a small part.
Lots of good cinematography here and some very interesting tributes to Hitchcock, as well as a startlingly disturbing scene involving Marvin and a refrigerator overcome the otherwise poor production values and out-of-date CGI that mar this movie.
Definitely worth a look, for anyone looking for a quick little diversion and some new twists to the B-Horror genre.

This is the third entry in the Mimic series; this time a shut-in and his hoochie sister have a run-in with the giant cockroaches. The movie starts off slow, maybe too slow in my opinion, but Mimic 3 gets real good at the end. The whole picture has this grungy look, contrasting the main character's immediate surroundings and lifestyle.

Despite all the bad reviews of this movie I have read, I actually found it to be a pretty good film. I mean, in some parts it may have been slightly lethargic, but over all, I found it to be a good film. The actors all did a very good job--they all have a lot of talent. I actually bought the film before I had even seen it, because my favourite actress played Carmen. I had heard bad reviews of the film, but I have never been one to rely on other people's judgement of films, because I usually enjoy films that get bad reviews. I guess you just have to be the right kind of person, because a great deal of the film does revolve around Marvin looking through his camera and taking pictures. If you haven't seen it, you should probably not buy it until you have, because like I said, you may have to be the type of person who enjoys most films as a whole. I guess it takes a real appreciation of the art.

Surprisingly, this sequel had the feel of a indy film, with some beautiful cinematography. It wasn't at all what I would expect for a sci-fi/horror movie, especially a sequel.

The lack of money shows especially on the 'street scenes'. They're always in the same spot in the middle of the 2 or 3 buildings where all the characters live, in 'the rear window' style. This is OK given the plot's nature, the problem is there are almost no extras and no sound effects of city life either, it's like a post-apocalyptic movie where half the population are dead. The main character's room is under-produced too.
Otherwise it's quite entertaining. Strangely, the movie succeeds to hold your interest during the more subdued first and second act, but falls apart in the last act, when all the action and special effects start kicking in. I think this part was ackwardly edited and isn't very effective.
The dvd has a good widescreen anamorphic transfer, and the cast's audition tapes make a curious extra.

Ok, the style of the first two films in the trilogy was really cool. Very dark and moody. The style of this one doesn't remain consistent with the frist 2, but it's just as good I think. There are alot of close ups, it's hard to describe. Don't compare this to big budget films. All horror fans will be pleased to see that Lance Henriksen who happens to be a B-Movie actor now, makes an appearence as a sort of bad guy? I guess. I think that watching some of the special features will help you to respect a movie better, and I'm not sure if there's a commentary or anything, but I've talked to the director alot over e-mail and he's a really nice guy. He has written the stories for the Splinter Cell games and is currently writing the movie, so if you don't like him for this, than like him for that.

This is the weakest of the Mimic movies. A young man (23ish) is living the life of a bubble boy. Surviving Strickler's disease has left him with respiratory problems. To bide his time he takes pictures of the neighbors in the building across the way. His younger sister helps him with his hobby. But then a young boy disappears.

As the guy becomes more and more obsessed with the neighbors he sees a possible murder. He doesn't realize that the Judas Breed is behind it, but he does get the police involved. Things quickly build an it becomes obvious that the big bugs are back.

I am not sure of the ending in this one. It is a little vague. If one character was right, then the Judas has already won and humans will be wiped out. It also seemed like there was something missing from the film. Something that would explain what was going on with the birds.

Much different from either of the first two and worth seeing once but probably not more.

Highly artistic and stylish entry in the series that boasts strong direction from JT Petty. Much more suspenseful than your typical direct-to-video fare. Good cinematography and acting.

I personally feel that this is an appropriate and highly satisfying close to the trilogy. It's great to see a survivor of Strickler's disease triumph over the Judas Breed.

Directed by Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, The Devil's Backbone), and based on a story by Donald A. Wollheim, Mimic (1997) was a big budget Hollywood production that first introduced the Judas Breed, a giant roachlike creature with the ability to "mimic" the appearance of man. The bugs returned to terrorize New York in Mimic 2 (2001), and are back for round 3 in Mimic Sentinel (2003), a direct to video production filmed in Romania.

According to director J.T. Perry, he was approached with the idea of melding the Mimic creature, with a situation similar to Hitchcock's Rear Window. Taking on the project, Perry's screenplay for Mimic Sentinel is a combination of some of the main themes from the two films, as the story is centered on a young man named Marvin Montrose (Karl Geary), who is survivor of Stricklers', the disease that caused the introduction of the Judas Breed. As a result of his illness, Marvin has problems breathing, and is hypersensitive to things in the air. He spends most of his time in his room, in an apartment that he shares with his protective mother (Amanda Plummer) and his younger sister Rosy (Alexis Dziena). His hobby is taking photographs of people on the street below, and in the nearby apartments. His photos are pinned up on the wall, forming a large collage.

From his bedroom window, Marvin views some strange happenings during the night, as the Judas Breed is loose in the neighborhood and claiming new victims. Together with his sister Rosy and Carmen (Rebecca Mader), a woman who lives in a neighboring building, Marvin begins to scrutinize the neighborhood, focusing on a man known as the "Garbageman" (Lance Henrikson) aka Dr. Justin Whistler, the film's Thorwald.

Like Rear Window, there is a certain sense of helplessness and frustration, as much of the film takes place in Marvin's room, and the immobile and physically weak photographer, can't do very much, and has to rely on others to investigate. Police detective Gary Dumars (John Kapelos) pays a visit to the apartment, but he's more interested in having sex with Marvin's mother, than solving any murders. The film moves at a slow pace until near the finish, when violence suddenly explodes. After ineptly watching those he cares about getting hurt or killed, Marvin finally takes action. The special effects are mostly minimal until the finish, where they are featured to good effect, as the bugs turn real nasty, and almost no one is left unscathed.

For fans of the original film, Mimic Sentinel may be an interesting watch just out of curiosity, as it's something of an acquired taste. In the closing of his commentary for the director's cut of Mimic, Guillermo del Toro recommends viewing Mimic Sentinel. The pacing is rather ponderous, as the bugs initiate almost all the action. The action sequences are crisply executed and quite violent, helping to redeem a film that lacks realism, and has lots of plot holes. The characters are a bit weird, and might not be to everyone's liking, but the acting performances generally seem to do justice to the screenplay. Alexis Dziena provides a spark, among what is a kind of sleepy cast. Lance Henrikson's intense presence is a huge plus, although his role is small, he has a terrific final scene.