Mimic (1997)

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writers (WGA):

Donald A. Wollheim (short story "Mimic")
Matthew Robbins (screen story) ...

Release Date:

22 August 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

For thousands of years, man has been evolution's greatest creation... until now.

Plot:

Three years ago entomologist Dr. Susan Tyler genetically created an insect to kill cockroaches carrying a virulent disease, now the insects are out to destroy their only predator, mankind!

Plot Keywords:

Insect | Disease | Entomologist | Epidemic | Cockroach

Awards:

3 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Mira Sorvino	...	Dr. Susan Tyler
Jeremy Northam	...	Dr. Peter Mann
Alexander Goodwin	...	Chuy
Giancarlo Giannini	...	Manny
Charles S. Dutton	...	Leonard
Josh Brolin	...	Josh
Alix Koromzay	...	Remy
F. Murray Abraham	...	Dr. Gates
James Costa	...	Ricky
Javon Barnwell	...	Davis
Norman Reedus	...	Jeremy
Pak-Kwong Ho	...	Preacher
Glenn Bang	...	Yang (as Glen Bang)
Margaret Ma	...	Chinese Woman
Warna Fisher	...	Bag Lady

Also Known As:

Judus (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for terror/violence and language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG (uncut) | Malaysia:U (cut) | France:-12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Belgium:KNT | Brazil:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:PG | South Africa:16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Disused lower platform, Bay subway station, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Guillermo del Toro] [insects]Experiments on cockroaches.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the last scene where the male bug is struck by the train, you see it struggling to hold onto the front of the train for a while. It manages to hang in there for a little while before being pulled under and splattered everywhere. But when Dr Susan looks around the corner, after the bug is killed, she sees parts of the bug just meters away from where she was hiding. The bug should be further down the tracks, because it was dragged for ages before going under.

Quotes:

Dr. Gates: [to Susan] So... you think your little "Frankenstein" has gotten the better of you?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Soundtrack:

Wake Up This Morning

Could Have Been A Whole Lot Worse

The idea of a film featuring genetically modified humanoid insects stalking the streets of New York makes me believe it would have a long shelf life - It`d spend a long time on a shelf waiting for a distributor , but MIMIC was far better than I expected . Director Guillermo Del Toro rightly concentrates on mood and atmosphere and also deserves a mention for making sure the cast didn`t camp the film up because it`s the sort of film that`s difficult for actors to believe in but everyone on screen takes it absolutely seriously . The screenwriters also deserve some praise for taking a ludicurous premise ( Remember we`re talking humanoid insects here ) and writing a story that makes you forget you`re watching something laughably far fetched . We also get to learn that soldier insects have to be killed stone dead in order to stop fighting and that insects take their pray to an underground lair to be eaten so the audience learns something about both insects and how to telegraph a script . My only criticism about the screenplay is that it does feel rather like an ALIENS type movie towards the end but that`s a very minor criticism .

So I fairly enjoyed MIMIC . It`s not as good as QUATERMASS AND THE PIT which is the greatest film to have the underground transport system as its setting but it`s a whole lot better than other subway or bug movies