Mimic 2 (2001)

Not Mimic

Although the acting was good, the story was not nearly as strong as the first movie. The acting alone could not carry this movie. Sure it is a bit interesting to make it look like the killings were done by a serial killer, but most serial killers, even if they eat off their faces and their innards like Hannibal Lecter, don't leave them hung over 30 foot light poles. I wanted to like this movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the first one and the characters in this one are quite good. But the story failed them. There was no exploring of the underground as there was in the first movie. A pity as that made it more suspenseful. Basicly by the time they realize the big bug is back, the military goes in to wipe it out. Worse yet one of the main characters I liked gets killed off. So all in all a bit of a disappointment. I would have given this only two stars if it wasn't for the great acting and interesting characters that made me like them. I will say the story wasn't horrible, it just wasn't great. Excuse me if I hoped for one as good as the first Mimic. However; even if I wouldn't buy it, it is definitely worth renting. October 29, 2007

Bad Horror = Mimic 2

This movie takes the cool concepts of Mimic, and then abuses, burns and trashes all the scary moments the first movie brought us.

This movie is slightly worse than watching an ant hill in the summer. if that is your idea of fun - then enjoy. March 8, 2006

next best to mimic

it was great because it continue to the next eveluation. the end leaves you thinking what will happen next. August 19, 2005

Cool Sequel

If you enjoyed the style of the first film like I did, there's more to go around in this sequel. Some people like to compare this type of movie to movies like The Matrix or other big budget modern sci-fi movies like that, but what they really need to do is watch the Sci-Fi channel and compare it to some of the **** movies that they call in pride "Sci Fi Pictures Originals". If I was running the channel I'd want to get my channel name as far away from those pictures as possible especially if they don't really make them, which Sci-Fi doesn't. Anyway, Mimic 2 is a true sequel picking up with the story of Remy, a minor character from the first movie. She's a teacher and attracts the attention of a single Judas Breed bug who is in all seriousness attracted to her. They don't really elaborate on this as much as they should have, but the Bug thinks she's some sort of Queen because she has alot of kids around her at school. A very cool monster/character angle is the addition of the new "evolution" of the bug. It can really mimic humans alot better than last time, and gets jealous of men that get close to her, whether they be on business terms, or for other reasons ;). But, the bug doens't know the difference, so he just kills everyone anyway, including my favorite character who always dies in every movie..almost. So, if you liked the style of the first movie you'll probably enjoy this, because it's played up to the extreme. The DVD is alright for a V release also, actually featuring interviews and some special effects segments and deleted scenes. Cool. March 31, 2005

direct-to-video movie that doesn't try to be more than it is

I saw Mimic in the movie theaters and enjoyed it. The original plot: scientists in the near future genetically engineer bugs to stop an infestation of plague-spreading cockroaches. They called them "Mimics" because they mimicked the behavior of the roaches and were able to infiltrate their nests.

Fast-forward a few years and the Mimics have gotten out of hand. Instead of being sterile, they reproduced. And instead of just being able to mimic bugs, they are now giant-sized beetles that have an outer shell that looks a lot like a guy in an overcoat wearing a hat. In short, the Mimics started hunting us.

There was way too much religious symbolism in the first movie for my tastes (from stigmata to calling the bugs "Judas breed"), but it was a sci fi film that aimed high even if it didn't always hit the mark. Mimic 2, a direct-to-video sequel, aims low and hits its mark anyway.

A minor character from the first film, Remi (Alix Koromzay), comes back as a hard-working redheaded schoolteacher who just wants to settle down with a nice guy in a soundstage-version of New York. She has a tough time though, mostly because she seems to like bugs a little too much and talks about them a lot.

What, you don't remember Remi from the first film? Neither do I. She was part of the CDC though, so we can assume she's fallen on hard times when we see Remi traipsing through the crumbling halls of a soon-to-be-condemned school teaching weird little freaky kids that talk about being insects and killing happy families.

Remi's life is interrupted by a series of killings, all of them involving men who have their faces torn off. The handsome Officer Klaski (Bruno Campos) enters to investigate and tolerates Remi's rambling about insects just enough to create something of a spark between them.

Mimic 2 doesn't hit you over the head with the plot, which is unfortunate because sometimes you need a good whack to understand what might be obvious to the director. Apparently, there is a Mimic from the original hive (you're shocked, I know) that's attempting to build a new hive right in the condemned schoolhouse. We're supposed to infer all of this from Remi's conversations about a single soldier ant who is the last of his kind to die "without a queen."

The rules of foreshadowing demand that we understand this to mean a few things: 1) that there's just one Mimic left, 2) that it's a soldier, 3) that it's looking for a queen. If you don't catch this little dialogue and interpret it correctly, the movie doesn't really explain itself much further. In fact, there's a scene that hit the cutting room floor that's on the DVD that explains everything. Without it the movie grasps at straws.

But what about the face ripping? Here's a quote from The Thing to help you out: "Man is the warmest place to hide."

That said, there are lots of surprises, shocks, and twists in the movie. The director (Jean de Segonzac) is competent and the writing (Joel Soisson) is well done. Unfortunately, the movie seems to have bad timing. In at least two scenes, the movie gives itself away too early-by about 10 seconds in each case. What the lone Mimic soldier is doing and what it plans to do is quite sinister, but pulling off the surprise twist requires careful timing, which this movie lacks. De Segonzac has directed TV, mostly, so maybe that's part of the problem.

The characters are a mixed bag. Remi's suitably quirky, although a little TOO quirky at times. The guys she dates rate high on the creep-o-scale, a fact that of course guarantees they will all die horrible, faceless deaths. The two kids Remi struggles to protect (Nicky played by Wil Estes and Sal played by Gaven Lucas) are really one-dimensional but are suitable foils for Remi's motherly instincts. Detective Klaski is well done, as is the government agent who competes with him to exterminate the bug. When Detect Klaski encounters the Mimic, he empties his entire gun into it, grabs a gun from his ankle holster, and fires the rest of that too. Now THAT'S what a normal cop would do when faced with a giant bug!

Not that it helps. Fortunately, the special effects are sparsely used. There are occasional computer graphics, but for the most part the bug is a rubber suit just off screen. We never see it in good lighting; a good thing too, given that when we do see the big bug it looks like a guy in a suit. The director works with what he's got and uses it sparingly.

The ending is the big payoff, but your reaction to it will really depend on your perspective of the film throughout. If you think the idea of a bug taking the role of a serial killer and stalker is preposterous, the ending is so ridiculously absurd that it's just plain comical. If you think the idea of a big bug flying around trying to stick its ovipositor in your gut is disturbing, then the ending will keep you awake at night. It's all a bit misogynistic, actually, but then most stalker movies are.

Koromzay is no Mira Sorvino, but she does okay. There's a cut scene where a creepy cigarette-smoking guy who sits in the stairwell of the building explains how Remi is an "average-looking chick that guys think they have a chance with," which explains why she has so many problems. That's sums up the movie too...it knows it's a direct to video sequel and doesn't try to be more than it is. January 26, 2005

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