RELEASED IN 2015 and directed by Guillermo del Toro, "Mimic" is a nature-runs-amok movie about a Manhattan entomologist (Mira Sorvino) who genetically creates an insect with a virulent disease to kill cockroaches. Three years later these insects have evolved into man-sized creatures with an uncanny ability and are bent on wiping out their only predator, humankind. Jeremy Northam plays her hubby while Charles S. Dutton appears as a subway cop and Josh Brolin as (I think) a detective.It is said that you shouldn't allow your mistakes to bring you down; after all, even God made the cockroach. All joking aside, this is a serious creature feature with a dark tone similar to "The Relic," released the same year. I mean 'dark tone' both figuratively and literally, as the proceedings take place at nighttime in the city or in the underground tunnels. Thankfully, it's not as dark (literally) as "The Relic." The creatures are top-of-the-line and are just as good, if not better, than the best movie monsters you can cite. Unfortunately, there's very little human interest or interesting subtext to draw one into the events. The characters are mostly forgettable while the mindfood amounts to "Don't fool with mother nature." But I do like how the story turns into a survival situation in the tunnels by the third act wherein the protagonists have to use their wits to survive. If you love cockroaches (and who doesn't?) you'll like this movie.THE MOVIE RUNS 105 minutes and was shot in Toronto with some stuff done in Los Angeles. WRITERS: Matthew Robbins & del Toro wrote the script from Donald A. Wollheim's story.GRADE: C+/B- (5.5/10)

Criminally underrated horror film by Guillermo del Toro. Great cast, interesting concept and wonderful visual look elevates this above you're standard monster (or in this case insect) movie. Make sure you watch the Director's Cut. The acting is more than adequate for a genre film and the effects which are mostly practical don't seem dated. The opening credit sequence was done by the same people who the opening credit sequence for David Fincher's "Seven", and it shows, but in a good way.

"Mimic" is one of those types of horror Sci-Fi movies that can be watched again and again, with a few years in between each viewing. And that is because of director Guillermo del Toro managing to put together a riveting story that crawls in under the skin and sticks with you.The story in "Mimic" is about a man-made mutated cockroach variant that were intended to destroy a mysterious disease that were plaguing mankind. But cockroaches are resilient bugs and nature has a way of evolving, leaving the insects out to destroy the only predator that threaten them, mankind.In itself a rather simple storyline, but there are layers to "Mimic" that add to the enjoyment of the movie, such the individual stories and backgrounds of the characters, and the fact that mankind brought about the abomination that they are now facing.This first "Mimic" movie does have some good talents on the cast list, including Mira Sorvino, Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton and even Norman Reedus. The actors and actresses did help make "Mimic" stand out as a good horror Sci-Fi and as a watchable movie.For a movie of this type then the special effects are crucial. And the effects team in "Mimic" did come together quite nicely and came up with some very interesting effects and creature designs. I have always been fascinated with the mimic ability of these insects since the first time I watched "Mimic" back in the late 1990's."Mimic" is an entertaining movie that does hold some good thrills. For a horror movie, then there is actually nothing scary about it. But that is not a bad thing, because the movie is entertaining as a thriller. And director Guillermo del Toro masterfully built up the suspense in the movie quite nicely, a suspense that permeated the entire movie from start to end.

Working in New York, married doctors attempting a cure of a devastating disease find their work has caused a mutated species of cockroach that is hunting in the city and forcing them into action to stop the creatures.This was quite enjoyable if still somewhat flawed overall. When this one does work, it's usually due to the creatures themselves here, which is quite fun as the film gives them some rather enjoyable elements starting with their origin and back-story. The idea of being bred to contain a viral disease through genetic mutations is certainly fine enough, yet there's more here with the mutation offering the chance to really change their behavior around for the better here as it comes from a realistic adaptation in the real creature. This feature helps this one along nicely by playing into the setting here with this one being in the underground sewers and tunnels when the adaptation is put to good use blending in and launching their attacks which are quite fun as it leads into a lot of action here. From the opening rooftop chase to the encounter with the boys in the tunnel as well as the church stalking and the encounter in the abandoned subway station, there's a lot of great action here that all sets up the fun of the finale. The attack on the subway car is quite chilling, the race to get to the surface is even more impactful and there's even more fun here with the chain reaction explosions and stalking done here that really makes this fun while giving it a couple gory kills amongst the action. Along with the fantastic look of the giant, humanoid cockroaches, there's enough here to help this out against the film flaws here. One of the biggest is that the film suffers from the overly-complicated scientific explanations for what's happening, as despite making sure it's stood but also hammers down the explanations to the point of overkill. Due to going into detail with every person they come into contact with, at times this makes the film feel like it's going on an extended loop for no real reason. Another factor to this is that it appears too long for its own good, especially in the early parts trying to examine everything which makes the film feel incredibly long and not all that interesting focusing on the scientific angle. Even some of the CGI shots here are quite weak and seem obvious, especially at the end where the exaggerated movements give away the technique and stands out during the fine action scenes. These here are what hold this one down.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and children-in-danger.