How sad is this?

good back-story, and good acting

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

To be fair, I thought some of the special effects were kind of cool, and the soundtrack was good. Otherwise, unless you're a yoga instructor, a soccer mom, Al Gore or an aging hippie, you'll find this movie to have far more cons than pros.First off, the family in this movie looks like their photo should be airbrushed onto the title of a modern parenting magazine. Emma is the generic fakely-cute little girl, lost in her own world, whereas her older brother Noah is a quiet, unmemorable, 2-D character with virtually no personality. The parents, Joanna "Jo" Wilder and Dave Wilder, act more like two newlywed college students than a mom and dad and have this belief that their kids are somehow much more gifted than any other kid out there. I mean, sure, every parent thinks they have the smartest kid on the planet, but the only thing to make these kids any different from all the other rugrats out there is an event that happens entirely by chance. Emma and Noah find a mysterious box on the beach which contains a variety of weird objects, including a stuffed rabbit named Mimzy. It's then that the kids start experiencing strange, new-found talents. Otherwise, this is a family so generic of the 21st century that there's nothing special at all about 'em.I know it's a fictional movie, but COME ON! The family gets dragged away by the FBI and locked away! Hello, Firestarter (1984)! This movie appears original at first but it isn't by any means. It seems to rip off many ideas from other movies.The acting in this movie is terrible! I've seen low-budget TV movies with better acting than The Last Mimzy, and I think the worst acting came from the roles of Emma and the parents.Elizabeth May, Al Gore, P.E.T.A. and Greenpeace would all love this movie. It's got a preachy, environmental message that underlies within the whole plot. When are those eco-freaks going to stop pushing their anti-pollution propaganda on little kids? Speaking of eco-freaks, this movie is full of bizarre new age crud, yoga-type stuff and weird zen things. Not in a religious way, more in a tacky way.All in all, this is a movie that claims to have a lot of deep intelligence and imagination, but ends up just being a big disappointment. If you want a truly amazing movie to show your kids, try Opal Dream (2006). Opal Dream is an Australian movie about a little girl who inspires the small opal mining town she lives in with her two imaginary friends, Pobby and Dingan. Opal Dream is one adults can enjoy as well, it's not childish but it's full of imagination and intelligence, believe it or not.

... we have this sweet, magical and engrossing little treat, written by Toby Emmerich of all people, that (and I have emphasized this factor in other reviews) "connects" with the audience (via the children) almost immediately; and then takes the audience on a pleasant little ride into the internal Fantasyland that each of us carries within us. Other reviewers have emphasized that this is a "family" film but of late I have come to regard that label with suspicion. A McLuhan scholar might well argue that in the world of simultaneous multi-band electronic media, children are no longer children as such, they have evolved into "tiny people" and it is increasingly more difficult to under-estimate them. Similarly, this film should not be under-estimated. It works, beginning to end, it entertains, it intrigues. It also reacquaints US viewers with Joely Richardson, a vastly underexposed actress on this side of the pond. Would see it more than once. And I have.

Noah and Emma are little kid spending the weekend with their mother Jo (Joely Richardson) at their family cottage. The kids find a strange box while playing on the shore. The box turns out to have strange rocks and glass and a stuff bunny named Mimzy.The premise of the story is compelling. The idea, that little kids have greater understanding while the adults are either disbelieving or too stupid to grasp, is a very powerful one. For 2/3 of this movie, it had me on the edge of my seat.The last act with the introduction of Homeland Security is too heavy handed. Their escape is too unrealistic. In fact, the whole climax lacks the drama needed. And the explanation lacks the magic that was promised by stuff bunny.

This film is a really good piece of entertainment for kids, with just enough high-concept sci-fi to keep the adults engaged as well. The overall theme of communication is well-embedded throughout the film, even down to the end credits, with a Roger Waters song that echoes some of his Pink Floyd classics. High marks for the two child actors, particularly Rhiannon Leigh Wryn as Emma Wilder, who with Chris O'Neil as her brother Noah, never seem to be acting, but come across as just two normal kids. The "government overstepping it's bounds" part of the plot seems a bit shoe-horned in, but it does give some minor characters a chance to get back into the story. All in all, a damn sight better than a lot of kids movies that slide into over-violent trash...