Mimic...isn't always flattering

classic; both sneered and cheered at.   So grab a can of Raid, maybe a fly swatter and a can of Coke to lure them out.    This is Mimic.

Spoilers can be people!!!

Based on the short story of the same name by American sci-fi author Donald A. Woldheim, Writer Matthew Robbins (The Sugarland Express, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dragonslayer, *batteries not included and Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark) and our boy Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone, Blade II, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy II: The Golden Army) combine their forces to bring this sci-fi thriller to live deep in the passages of New York City.  Entomologist Doctor Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino of Mighty Aphrodite, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, The Replacement Killers, and Too Tired to Die) and her husband Doctor Peter Mann (Jeremy Northam of The Net, Emma, Amistad, Gosford Park and The Invasion) are geneticists dealing with a plague dubbed Strickler’s disease that is spread by cockroaches that claiming hundreds of the city’s children left and right.   Desperate to quell this onslaught of infection, the two created a new breed of insect called the Judas breed that would feed on the roaches. The concept of stunting the ability to breed the Judas breed would die out in 3 years time.  Well that is the plan of course but we all know how Man plays and God laughs according Nietzsche.    

Unfortunately the good intentions aside, years later the Judas breed has managed to reproduce and to amass to over six feet tall and they got hungry for more tender meat that the roaches cannot offer but in a city of 8 million people I think they may have one hell of a buffet.

Transit Cop Leonard (Charles S. Dutton of Crocodile Dundee II, Alien 3, Rudy, A Low Down Dirty Shame, Nick of Time and Gothika) hears a noise and spots one of these giant bugs, drops a few rounds at it and calls for back up.  Tyler, Mann and their extended staff all make their way into the subway line to offer assistance.  As Leonard knows these tunnels like the back of his hand, the lot proceeds deep in.

I still love how we go from the hustle and bustle of New York City streets to these vast underground steam tunnels of Ontario er…um...I mean New York of course.  To the sum of $28 million, this is Guillermo del Toro’s first American movie and to be fair why the story itself was not overtly fascinating to me of Man twisting God’s work but again the initial storytelling and atmosphere of grim standing one moment but with a little dark humor when deemed necessary.   I still was impressed how del Toro made you guess who was next on the menu.   It is almost as he threw out that unwritten rule of animals, old folk and kids were most likely to survive to the very last minute.   Not a favorite but well done by performance and story.