Mimic is not a unique horror film. But it scares us considerably. The movie is similar to Ridley Scott's Alien--an observation first put forward by the late critic Roger Ebert. Instead of a space ship we have the subway and trains. In Mimic, the deadly insects replace the aliens of Aliens.
The movie starts by inviting us to a grim world where children die due to a contagious disease. The city depicted here has turned uninhabitable, especially for children. And no one has found a cure for the disease that kill children.
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| The dying children |
Enter Dr Susan Taylor (Mira Sorvino), an entomologist. She discovers that the disease is caused by common cockroach.
Susan creates a new breed of insects that she calls the Judas breed with the help of genetic engineering. An enzyme released by Judas help alter the metabolism of the roaches. The roaches starve to death due to the accelerated metabolism.
The disease is eliminated, the children are no more dying; thanks to Dr Susan; thanks to genetic engineering.
Mimic shows the best merits of genetic engineering in the beginning. But, the rest of the movie is devoted to show the dangers or horrors of genetic engineering.
The female Frankenstein
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| Mira Sorvino in Mimic |
Though Ebert had pointed out Mimic's debt to Ridley Scott's Alien , del Torro's sci-fi horror movie owes more to Mary Shelley's iconic tale of Frankenstein.
In the tale of Frankenstein a scientist named Victor Frankenstein creates a monster using some unconventional scientific method.
Frankenstein's myth is often cited in movies, novels and other media to warn the people of the dangers of science or technology.
In del torro's Mimic Dr Susan is a slightly altered version of Victor Frankenstein. The monster she creates is the Judas breed of insects.
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| The Judas breed |
The only difference between Susan and Frankenstein is the former creates her monster to save the world from the clutches of a grave illness. She uses genetic engineering to save lives.
The dangers of genetic engineering start showing itself when the genetically engineered insects start breeding outside the lab and form their own colony. As Jeff Goldblum's iconic character in Jurassic Park say: 'Life finds a way'.
Susan says insects can imitate their predators. Here, Judas apes its predators that is the humans. This makes the insects more dangerous and powerful. The movie's title refers to this ability of the insect.
Susan is not ambitious like other Frankenstein types. She is humane. Susan created 'a new life' to save thousands of other lives. She created a savior but it turns out to be the 'destroyer'.
The del Torro touch
Mimic is a genre movie. It is highly derivative. But, the movie has a heart mainly due to del Torro's imagination.
The Mexican director's trademarks are visibly etched all over Mimic. His fetishes include insects, clockwork, monsters, dark places, and unborn things. Almost all of these obsessions are visible in this sci-fi horror flick.
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| del Torro has a fetish for unborn things |
The director's brilliant touch shows in another instance. There is a boy in the movie, who imitates the sound of the creature with a pair of spoons. The insects imitates the humans and a human child imitates the insect. This is a brilliant example of mirroring.
How to judge Mimic ?
Mimic is one of the most underrated movies of 1997. It garnered only mixed reviews upon its release (Roger Ebert had given a decent review) and the reception at the box office wasn't good.
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| The dark world of Mimic |
The movie deserves to be a cult classic. It has aged well over the years. The decent performances from Mira Sorvino, Josh Brolin and other actors are worth watching. And above everything, del Torro's craftsmanship elevates the movie to greater heights.
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