Mimic

If you believe the hype, as I do, that Guillermo Del Toro is one of the most important filmmakers working today given such achievements as Pan's Labyrinth, Devil's Backbone and Hellboy II then revisiting his early work, including Mimic (1997) is a must. Mimic is certainly far from perfect. The last thirty minutes are notably bad, consisting of rote action sequences capped off with sentimentalized Hollywood pap. But for nearly an hour, Del Toro establishes a profoundly unsettling tone in this twisted tale about the controversial and relevant issue of genetically engineering predators of organisms human society deems harmful.

The situations are familiar to fans of the horror genre (badass monster stalks human victims) but through superior framing, lighting, and editing during the stalking sequences, the film provokes suspense. The antagonistic creature, like all of Del Toro's creations, is uniquely grotesque. The monster's mimicking quality which gives the film its name is a truly inventive and disturbing characteristic.

It's unfortunate that the film devolves so rapidly into familiar territory, ripping off Aliens right and left during its climax deep within the bowels of the New York subway system. Given the brutality of the film's earlier sequences, the ending cheats. By and large, the film is also hampered by confusing editing. Characters appear in the story without being properly introduced (The relationship of the Josh Brolin character to the other characters and the story at large is still a mystery to me).

Mimic is still a worthy effort, a demonstration of an artist still perfecting his craft. The film's larger themes about children, death, and sacrifice are thoughtfully and sincerely evoked. Del Toro would revisit these themes in Pan's Labyrinth and Devil's Backbone with more aplomb, but Mimic remains a cut above recent monster movies and a compelling look into the developing artistry of Guillermo Del Toro.