One of my all time favorites.

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

In Manhattan, children are dying from a new lung ailment, Stickler's Disease, spread by cockroaches. Dr Peter Mann (Jeremy Northam) pleads with an entomology expert, Dr Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) to help him find a solution to destroy or disable the roaches. After viewing kids struggling to breathe, she does so. Using genetic engineering, the lethal insects are modified to stop reproducing. All is well. Or, it is it? Now, three years later, Peter and Susan are married and hoping to start a family. But, we see a mysterious dark being stalk a man and pull him into a sewer. Then, Susan receives a strange, rather large insect from a child, as a swap for money. This "baby" bug only resembles the modified cockroach in DNA. So, somehow the buggers are still reproducing and may be in the sewer system. As Peter, Susan, a shoeshine man named Manny (Giancarlo Giannini) and others (Josh Brolin, Charles S. Dutton) search for the secrets, what they discover chills the blood. The insects are HUMAN SIZE and mimic their creator, Susan, by appearing as a part insect, part human with powerful wings and claws. Unless they can stop the population, humankind is most likely doomed. Who will win? This stylish "mimic" of Alien is quite compelling but gruesome. Especially troublesome is the death of children at the hands of the bugs, something that usually doesn't happen in horror films and the overall bloody demises of various characters. Yet, even so, don't be scared off if you like science/horror movies. The cast is wonderful, while the artistic images and effects are fabulous. Also worthy are the script and make-you-jump direction. Mimic may resemble Alien, but it can stand on its own as solid entertainment.

Criminally underrated horror film by Guillermo del Toro. Great cast, interesting concept and wonderful visual look elevates this above you're standard monster (or in this case insect) movie. Make sure you watch the Director's Cut. The acting is more than adequate for a genre film and the effects which are mostly practical don't seem dated. The opening credit sequence was done by the same people who the opening credit sequence for David Fincher's "Seven", and it shows, but in a good way.

Mimic is an early outing for renowned wizard of imagination Guillermo Del Toro, and one that was severely hampered by the studios, namely the vile ghoul Harvey Weinstink. Despite an ending which Del Toro hates, I absolutely love the film. I grew up with it the way it is and enjoy it for the story it has, regardless of any qualms its creators have with it. It's a lovely throwback to the creature features of the 1950's, with Del Toro's own unique, high concept flair. And what a blast of a concept for a sci fi monster flick. When the New York cockroaches start carrying a deadly virus that's killing children, a scientist (Mira Sorvino) genetically engineers a mutant breed of insect to kill off the infectious ones. Her plan works, but there's just one problem: they have both bred and evolved into something monstrous. Many insects use mimicry as a defence mechanism or a predatory lure. These ones become so advanced and massive that they can imitate the silhouette of a shadowy human figure. Terrifying, right? Not the kind of thing you'd wanna run into in a dark alley on your own. They lurk around dank areas of the NYC subway system, preying on vagrants and anyone who comes near them. Pretty soon word gets back to Sorvino, who realizes her mistake and attempts to find, confront and stop the creatures. It's schlocky, yet has a specific biological order and symmetry to the things which go bump in the night, which is Del Toro's trademark, really. He always gives his otherworldly beasts such a sense of purpose and functionality to captivate us. Jeremy Northam plays Sorvino's boyfriend, along for the spooky ride, as well as F. Murray Abraham as a kindly professor, Charles Dutton as a wise cracking cop, Giancarlo Gianninni as an Italian shoe shiner, a brief Norman Reedus and a scene stealing Josh Brolin as a sarcastic Detective. It may not have everyone's seal of approval, and hold the stigma of being the black sheep in Del Toro's stable, but it's got merits in my books. It's got a boundless imagination, one of the creepiest, smoke machine infested New York City settings in the horror genre, and above all knows how to have fun.

An Elegant Portrayal of Excrement and Other Disgusting Displays have a Director's Touch that is Absent in a lot of These Types. The Soft Muting Coloring and the Attention to Detail on the Sets and Creatures Make This One a Must See for Horror Fans.Mira Sorvino Leads the Cast with an Early Josh Brolin, F. Murray Abraham, and Alexander Goodwin as an Autistic Youth, Standing Out. The Story is Simple but Compelling. Sorvino's Scientist Introduces a Lab Created Insect to Fight Indigenous Insects Carrying a Devastating Plague. Of Course, Things Go Horribly Wrong and Now Humanity is Faced with Bugs, Six Foot Tall Mimicking Human Faces, Breeding Like Insects and Ready to Take Over the World. The Third Act, in the Sewers, is Slimy, Scary, with Thrills of Gore Galore. The Creatures are Rendered with Incredible Believability Considering what was Needed to Pull This Off. Recommended for those with Strong Stomachs, and Claustrophobics Better Stay Away, Because the Confinement and Feeling of Entrapment Permeates the Proceedings.There is Religious Symbolism with a Wanted Intervention by Jesus Making its Way Into the Frame Now and Then. But the Strength of the Film is the Beautiful Way it Renders All of the Grotesque Goings On. No Mean Feat, but This is at Once a Mean, Yet Sometimes Touching and Sensitive Film.