Movie Review: Mimic The Director's Cut (1997)

Mimic The Director's Cut (1997) directed by Guillermo del Toro

A disease carried by common cockroaches is wiping out children in New York City. To prevent the spread of the disease, entomologist Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino) creates the Judas Bug, a cockroach-like insect that wipes out the cockroach population. The Judases are designed to be infertile, so they won't last more than six months. The bugs work and Dr. Tyler falls for the Center for Disease Control guy in charge (Jeremy Northam). The story jumps to three years later, where the couple is trying to have a child. Some kids bring a weird bug specimen to Dr. Tyler. The bug has a key characteristic like the Judas Bug, though the specimen is lost when a mysterious figure invades her lab. She decides to go back down into the subterranean levels of New York to see if the Judases are still around. Since they are coming up to the surface, it's a good guess there are plenty of them below.

The movie has the standard B-movie plot where the creation turns on its creator. Del Toro's direction gives it more nuance and style. The dark, muted world of the bugs is occasionally pierced by warm amber and golden hues brought by the humans. The bugs are imaginatively crafted, making their transition from a seemingly human figure into a clearly insect figure believable. There are a few blood and guts horror moments but mostly the film relies on atmosphere and careful editing to raise tension. The special effects hold up really well, probably because they are mostly practical effects.

This director's cut of the movie came out in 2011 on disc. I hadn't heard about it until reading a book on del Toro. I hadn't watched the original film in at least fifteen years. I have only general memories of it so I am not sure what changed. It seemed like this version has more focus on the couple's fertility, which makes thematic sense since they are dealing with the unexpected fertility of the bugs.

Recommended as a B-movie horror with a bit more style and thought (though not a whole lot).