Mimic (film)

Last updated

Mimic
Mimic.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Matthew Robbins
  • Guillermo del Toro
Based on"Mimic"
by Donald A. Wollheim
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Dan Laustsen
Edited by Patrick Lussier
Music by Marco Beltrami
Production
company
Distributed by Miramax 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.

Contents

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

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

Production

Casting

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

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

Director's cut

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

Box office

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

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

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

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]

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

Related Research Articles

Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company founded on December 19, 1979, by Harvey and Bob Weinstein, and based in Los Angeles, California. Today, it is owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mira Sorvino</span> American actress (born 1967)

Mira Katherine Sorvino is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite (1995).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Weinstein</span> American sex offender and former film producer (born 1952)

Harvey Weinstein is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films including Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989); The Crying Game (1992); Pulp Fiction (1994); Heavenly Creatures (1994); Flirting with Disaster (1996); and Shakespeare in Love (1998). Weinstein won an Academy Award for producing Shakespeare in Love and also won seven Tony Awards for plays and musicals including The Producers, Billy Elliot the Musical, and August: Osage County. After leaving Miramax, Weinstein and his brother Bob founded The Weinstein Company (TWC), a mini-major film studio. He was co-chairman, alongside Bob, from 2005 to 2017.

<i>Nightwatch</i> (1997 film) 1997 American horror-thriller film directed by Ole Bornedal

Nightwatch is a 1997 American horror thriller film directed by Ole Bornedal and starring Ewan McGregor, Patricia Arquette, Josh Brolin and Nick Nolte. It was written by Bornedal and Steven Soderbergh. It is a remake of the 1994 Danish film of the same name, which was also directed by Bornedal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guillermo del Toro</span> Mexican filmmaker (born 1964)

Guillermo del Toro Gómez is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, gothicism and horror often blending the genres, with an effort to infuse visual or poetic beauty in the grotesque. He has had a lifelong fascination with monsters, which he considers symbols of great power. He is also known for his use of insectile and religious imagery, his themes of Catholicism, anti-fascism, and celebrating imperfection, underworld motifs, practical special effects, and dominant amber lighting.

Robert Weinstein is an American film producer. He is the founder and head of Dimension Films, former co-chairman of Miramax Films and The Weinstein Company (TWC), all of which he co-founded with his older brother, Harvey. He has focused on making action and horror films.

<i>Cronos</i> (film) 1992 film by Guillermo del Toro

Cronos is a 1992 Mexican independent horror drama film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Federico Luppi and Ron Perlman. Cronos is del Toro's first feature film, and the first of several films on which he worked with Luppi and Perlman.

<i>Pans Labyrinth</i> 2006 film by Guillermo del Toro

Pan's Labyrinth is a 2006 dark fantasy film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. The film stars Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, and Ariadna Gil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federico Luppi</span> Argentine actor (1936–2017)

Federico Luppi was an Argentine film, television, radio and theatre actor. He won numerous awards throughout his acting career.

<i>All the Pretty Horses</i> (film) 2000 Western film

All the Pretty Horses is a 2000 American Western film produced and directed by Billy Bob Thornton, based on Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name, and starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz. It premiered on December 25, 2000 to mostly negative reviews. It grossed $18 million worldwide on a $57 million budget.

<i>The Devils Backbone</i> 2001 film by Guillermo del Toro

The Devil's Backbone is a 2001 gothic horror film directed by Guillermo del Toro, and written by del Toro, David Muñoz, and Antonio Trashorras. Set in Spain, 1939, during the final year of the Spanish Civil War, the film follows a boy who is left in an orphanage operated by Republican loyalists and haunted by the ghost of a recently-deceased boy. It stars Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Irene Visedo, Fernando Tielve, and Íñigo Garcés. Released in Spain by Warner Sogefilms on 20 April 2001, the film received highly positive reviews from critics.

<i>Planet Terror</i> 2007 film by Robert Rodriguez

Planet Terror is a 2007 American action comedy horror film written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. Set in Texas, the film follows the survivors of a biochemical outbreak as they battle zombie-like creatures and a rogue military unit. It stars Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Michael Biehn, Jeff Fahey, Josh Brolin, and Marley Shelton.

The production of The Lord of the Rings film series posed enormous challenges, both logistical and creative. Under Peter Jackson's direction, these obstacles were overcome between 1997 and 2004. Many attempts to produce J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings had failed; the few that had reached the screen were animations. Since the publication of the source novels in the mid-1950s, many filmmakers and producers had considered a film but then set the project aside. The series as filmed by Jackson consists of three epic fantasy adventure films. They were produced by New Line Cinema, assisted by WingNut Films. The cinema versions appeared between 2001 and 2003, and the extended edition for home video in 2004. Development began in August 1997. The films were shot simultaneously. Their production was undertaken entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand. It spanned the 14-month period from October 1999 until December 2000, with pick-up shots filmed over a further 24 months, from 2001 to 2003.

<i>Dont Be Afraid of the Dark</i> (2010 film) Supernatural horror film by Troy Nixey

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a 2010 dark fantasy horror film written by Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins, and directed by Troy Nixey in his feature directorial debut. It is a remake of the 1973 ABC made-for-television film of the same name. The film stars Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, and Bailee Madison, as a family moving into a 19th-century Rhode Island mansion, where the withdrawn daughter begins to witness malevolent creatures that emerge from a sealed ash pit in the basement of the house. Jack Thompson also stars in a supporting role. An international co-production between the United States, Australia, and Mexico, it was filmed at the Drusilla Mansion in Mount Macedon and Melbourne.

Geometria is a 1987 short fantasy horror comedy film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. It is based loosely on Fredric Brown's short story "Naturally", which was originally published in Beyond Fantasy Fiction and later reprinted in the short story collection Honeymoon in Hell. Geometria was shot in Guadalajara, Jalisco in Mexico. It is the tenth short film del Toro directed, though all but 1985's Doña Lupe remain unreleased.

<i>Crimson Peak</i> 2015 film by Guillermo del Toro

Crimson Peak is a 2015 Gothic romance film directed by Guillermo del Toro and written by del Toro and Matthew Robbins. The film stars Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Charlie Hunnam, and Jim Beaver. The story, set in Victorian-Era England, follows an aspiring author who travels to a remote Gothic mansion in Cumberland, England with her new husband and his sister. There, she must decipher the mystery behind the ghostly visions that haunt her new home.

<i>Sicario</i> (2015 film) Action thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve

Sicario is a 2015 American crime thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve, written by Taylor Sheridan in his screenwriting debut and starring Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, and Josh Brolin. The film follows a principled FBI special agent who is enlisted by a government task force to bring down the leader of a powerful and brutal Mexican drug cartel. Sicario was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It began a limited release in the United States on September 18, 2015, followed by a nationwide release on October 2, 2015.

<i>The Shape of Water</i> 2017 film by Guillermo del Toro

The Shape of Water is a 2017 period romantic fantasy film directed and produced by Guillermo del Toro, who co-wrote the screenplay with Vanessa Taylor. It stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Octavia Spencer. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, the film follows a mute cleaner at a high-security government laboratory who falls in love with a captured humanoid amphibian creature and decides to help him escape from death at the hands of an evil colonel. Filming took place on location in Ontario, Canada, from August to November 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guillermo del Toro's unrealized projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced Guillermo del Toro projects in roughly chronological order. During his decades-long career, Mexican filmmaker and author Guillermo del Toro has worked on a number of projects that never progressed beyond the pre-production stage. Some of these projects fell into development hell and are presumably canceled, while some were taken over and completed by other filmmakers.

<i>She Said</i> (film) 2022 U.S. film by Maria Schrader

She Said is a 2022 American drama film directed by Maria Schrader and written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, based on the 2019 book by reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. The film stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as Twohey and Kantor, respectively, and follows their New York Times investigation that exposed Harvey Weinstein's history of abuse and sexual misconduct against women. The film also stars Patricia Clarkson, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Morton, and Andre Braugher, in his final film role before his death in 2023. Ashley Judd appears as herself.

References

  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. 1 2 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. 1 2 Sharf, Zack (October 12, 2017). "Guillermo del Toro 'Hated the Experience' of Working With Harvey Weinstein on 'Mimic'". Indiewire . Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 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.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.