Product Details

• Actors: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Alexander Goodwin, Giancarlo Giannini, Charles S. Dutton
• Directors: Guillermo del Toro
• Writers: Guillermo del Toro, Donald A. Wollheim, Matthew Robbins
• Producers: Andrew Rona, B.J. Rack, Bob Weinstein, Cary Granat
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Dimension
• DVD Release Date: April 22, 1998
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1558908323
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,389 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Mimic" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

An ultracreepy blend of horror and fantasy (think of it as Beauty and the Bugs) from Mexican director Guillermo del Toro (Cronos) 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), Mimic 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 Them!), 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. --Jim Emerson

Product Description

This electrifying thriller features sexy Academy Award(R)-winner Mira Sorvino (ROMY AND MICHELE'S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION) and screen favorite Charles S. Dutton (A TIME TO KILL, ALIEN 3). A team of scientists discover a miracle cure that stops the spread of a deadly disease ... only to find three years later that something has gone terribly wrong! Their creation has taken on a horrifying life of its own ... able to mimic and destroy its every predator -- even man! And now, it threatens to wipe out an entire city ... unless they stop it in time! A stylish, acclaimed hit featuring riveting performances from a superb cast, MIMIC delivers heart-pounding thrills that never let up!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rises above the norm!, August 3, 2001

By 

D. Litton (Wilmington, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mimic (DVD)

"Life finds a way." Ian Malcom, "Jurassic Park"

This famous line from Steven Speilberg's dinosaur adventure has become a popular lesson of many science fiction films today. "Mimic," a film in which genetically altered insects become something never intended, is no exception to this particular lesson; in fact, the movie uses it to its advantage on numerous occasions, that, and some very sophisticated special effects and filmmaking techniques. Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, who directed "Cronos," turns what is a basic nature-gone-mad movie into something more terrifying, more chilling, and more suspenseful than anything we've ever seen done before.

That's not to say that "Mimic" is as fresh as a spring breeze. There are elements at work in the film that are all too familiar if you know your science fiction well. There's the obligatory explanation for the havoc surrounding the central characters, scenes involving them being trapped somewhere beyond any help, and a hero in the group that will devise all the plans for escape and the way in which to kill their opponent. But under a new premise, and some very strikingly intense moments, "Mimic" makes the old seem new again.

The hero (or heroine, in this case) is Dr. Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino), who is called upon by the city of New York to find a cure for a fatal disease striking the city's children. Along with husband Peter Mann (Jeremy Northam), they create a genetically altered breed of insect (revealed as a cross between a cockroach and a praying mantis) to wipe out the disease-infested cockroaches underneath the city.

Of course, the bugs, named the "Judas" breed, were altered in ways that left them with a short life expectancy of only six months, plus a sterile female so that no mating will take place. But, after three years have passed, Susan encounters a bug closely resembling the "Judas" breed insects, and it becomes apparent to her that they have survived.

How did they survive? The movie never explains it, which is best; it's better left as a mystery. It also leaves room for the ensuing action sequences, as Susan and Peter, along with a police officer (Charles Dutton), make their way into the underground subways and abandoned facilities beneath the city streets.

This is where things get really interesting, as del Toro works his magic on us. A simple scene in which Susan attempts to retrieve a flashlight by sticking her hand in a dark hole is full of suspense, while a claustrophobic intensity permeates sequences involving an abandoned subway car where the group seeks refuge from their predators. Accompanying all of this is a heightened sensory perception. Del Toro toys with shadow and light, along with sight and sound, to add an atmospheric feel to each setting. Not since "Seven" have I seen a film that uses this technique so masterfully.

And the message behind it all? It's one we're well familiarized with, that playing God gets us nowhere. Sure, Susan's intentions were in the right place, and we even understand her reasons after an early shot of her in a hospital ward filled with sick children. I think the general theme behind all of the mayhem is not one of toying with science, but one on the many ways that life can change, and evolve into something previously unknown.

"Mimic" has a good cast in its favor. Mira Sorvino shines in a role that differs from others roles of her career, such as "Mighty Aphrodite." But she proves herself able to play a convincing character in any situation. Jeremy Northam is the last person you'd expect to see running through tunnels and putting himself in dangerous situations, but he pulls it off. F. Murray Abraham makes an appearance as Susan's mentor, Dr. Gates, playing the well-educated man to perfection, while Charles Dutton is superbly comical and heroic as Leonard, the police officer.

"Mimic" is a dazzlingly intense adventure that is genuinely suspenseful and totally entertaining. It's ability to tighten the intensity surrounding its sequence of events is a trait rare to this genre, as is its ability to bring us into the atmosphere of the film's murky settings. Del Toro has fashioned a new evolution of sci-fi out of old-school tricks; I highly recommend this film.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Over-hyped Director's Cut, September 9, 2011

By 

L.T. (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mimic (The Director's Cut) [Blu-ray + Digital Copy] (Blu-ray)

I enjoy "Mimic," the movie. I have owned it on VHS, DVD, and now on this nice Director's Cut Blu Ray (Best Buy started selling the Blu Ray on September 6 . . . everyone else will have it on September 27). I am happy with my purchase and I will keep my Blu Ray of "Mimic" because the movie is kind of awesome in that science gone wrong giant bug sort of way.

My three stars for this review are strictly based off of the fact that this Blu Ray release is marketed as a Director's Cut and every single movie website, fan site, movie reviewer site (I think you are getting my drift) has been overjoyed in the fact that Guillermo Del Toro is finally given the chance to "reclaim" "Mimic." There is this whole back story involving executive producers, movie studio big wigs, and creative differences that plagued the development of "Mimic" (It is one of those typical Hollywood stories). It became such a problem, that Del Toro believed "Mimic" was not really his movie, he lost control of it, and did not like the outcome - this is all pretty much stated within the new "Reclaiming Mimic" featurette found on the Blu Ray. With a back story such as this, yes, people should be excited for a Director's Cut . . . Del Toro finally gets to reinstate his vision - or, at least, what's left of it being that he cannot go back and re-shoot the movie. But, as stated in the "Reclaiming Mimic" featurette, Del Toro is finally happy with the movie's Director's Cut. Without re-shooting the entire film, this is the cut of the movie Del Toro wants the audience to experience.

See, there's a lot of hype. Del Toro did not like the original cut, but is more than happy with his own cut. The studio was too hands on the first time around and completely changed his vision. With all of this promise behind Del Toro reinstating his vision, to me, I was somewhat just disappointed when the movie really wasn't all that . . . different.

(Vague spoilers below . . .)

The action remains the same. There is no alternate ending. There are more character scenes, which are always made to make you feel more for the characters' situations, but . . . I already felt for the characters. So the scenes did not make me "feel more" about them because I already liked them (originally). There are scenes which help to fill in some of the timeline of the narrative and I enjoyed those because they filled in some of the gaps. But again, it doesn't make "Mimic" the Director's Cut a wholly different experience. And that is why this Director's Cut is disappointing and a little bit over-hyped. With all the problems happening behind the scenes of the original, this Director's Cut had a lot of weight behind it, but, if this is all the Director's Cut is, it makes me wonder why exactly Del Toro didn't like the original movie because his vision is really not all that different from what the studio saw.

(Ok, so this review is getting long and I'm going to wrap it up.)

My final word on the subject is this: Buy this movie in order to have a good science versus nature movie on Blu Ray, but do not expect the "Director's Cut" to be a miracle or even all that different, because it is not.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Watch Out, It's Not a Human!!! Shrewd Sci-fi Horror, June 12, 2002

By 

Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Mimic [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This may be a very personal thing, but my cousin once saw Mira Sorvino in a karaoke bar in Kyoto five years ago. I still regret that she (my cousin) didn't have my phone number to invite me.

Anyway, Mira Sorvino was here in Japan for the promotion of this creep film "Mimic." It was a bit surprise she took the role of entomologist Dr. Tyler, because it was soon after she got an Oscar for that Woody Allen film. But she judged right for this film turned out successful, being directed by Guillermo Del Toro, later to direct "Blade 2."

The story is, in my opinion, another clever look on urban legend. In New York, a deadly disease carried by roaches burst out, and many children suffer from that, most cases leading to death. Entomologist Susan Tyler (Sorvino), asked by CDC specialst Peter (Jeremy Northan, of "Emma" and "The Net"), embarks on a plan based on releasing a genetically enhanced new spieces. It worked; the disease soon is gone, but that's only the beginning of another plague that is more deadly.

And that is THE Thing, that acts like humans, but in fact, lethal enemy to us. They inhabit in a disused subway constructions where unlucky characters have to be trapped. Though the story seems derailed in the final chapter of the film, the film, as a whole, maintains its creepy atomosphere throughout, and those weird feelings that some people might get when they watch insects -- something akin to awe and fear -- are tactfully expressed in the darkly images of the underground world.

The cast is also superb; besides intelligent Sorvino, you see Charles S. Dutton ("Alien 3"), Josh Brolin ("NIghtwatch"), F. Murray Abraham ("Amadeus") and Giancorlo Giannini ("Hannibal"). And some may be amuzed by the stylish opening title sequence by Kyle Cooper, who did his job in "Se7en." and many others.

Basically, love or hate film, "Mimic" will engage the heart of the people who love the kind of film like David Cronenberg. The story's defect is obvious (and the film at several points resembles that of underrated John Sayles film "The Alligator"), but if you go in for an eerie feelings of his films, it is worth a look.