Mimic 2 (DVD)

...she thought….

Mimic was in itself a fairly entertaining movie. Although it was clear from the outset that the film was going to be a monster movie, it took some time for the audience to discover what type of creatures were involved and conceptually the genetic mutations were very effective. The mimic idea was introduced in the way that the creatures mimicked wild insects that are known to evolve to form exoskeletons in the image of ...
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In essence, Mimic 2 is very similar to the first movie in that it is largely the story of a disparate group of individuals being stalked through the dark corners of New York’s underbelly. There is no real explanation of how the Judas Breed has survived the assault from the climax of Mimic, but this in itself isn’t really a problem – you just kind of accept it. That aside, I was rather disappointed to find that the makers hadn’t explored ... more

When a disease carried by an infestation of cockroaches threatened the child population of New York, a team of scientists set about creating anew species. By combining the DNA from a cockroach with that of a soldier ant and a termite, they created the Judas Breed – but unwittingly released a much more dangerous creature that mutated further and spread throughout the New York subway system. In the original movie, the police and scientific community were only just able to prevent a disaster. They believed that they had destroyed all of the Judas creatures – but they were wrong.

Remi makes her living as a schoolteacher, where she simultaneously feeds the children’s imagination and shares her love of the insect world. Her relationships with men are disastrous and so she lives alone in a run-down apartment block apart from a few insects, spiders and lizards. But what Remi does not realise is that somebody is watching over her. A strange figure haunts the alleyways near her home, and unbeknown to Remi he has an unhealthy interest in the men in her life.

Meanwhile, a mysterious death attracts the interest of a young police detective. Around the city, a series of grisly murders have taken place. Men’s bodies have been found in a horrific state – their faces having been literally sliced off their heads. Who or what is capable of such a crime – and who is the strange figure that stalks Remi? As everything falls into place, Remi soon discovers that not all insects are as harmless as she thought….

Mimic was in itself a fairly entertaining movie. Although it was clear from the outset that the film was going to be a monster movie, it took some time for the audience to discover what type of creatures were involved and conceptually the genetic mutations were very effective. The mimic idea was introduced in the way that the creatures mimicked wild insects that are known to evolve to form exoskeletons in the image of their prey. This is supposed to lure the unsuspecting creatures to an untimely death. As such, in Mimic, the Judas Breed was able to walk amongst the real humans in the subways by keeping to the shadows and mimicking their appearance. Nonetheless, the film was drawn to a satisfactory conclusion and there seemed to be little need for a sequel. I was therefore quite surprised to see that a sequel had been made and also rather curious to see what they would do to take things further.

In essence, Mimic 2 is very similar to the first movie in that it is largely the story of a disparate group of individuals being stalked through the dark corners of New York’s underbelly. There is no real explanation of how the Judas Breed has survived the assault from the climax of Mimic, but this in itself isn’t really a problem – you just kind of accept it. That aside, I was rather disappointed to find that the makers hadn’t explored a new medium and had really kept things simple – and very dark. There seems to be an assumption that Remi knows about the events of the first movie – she immediately seems to recognise the Judas Breed, but I don’t believe that her character was actually around. The only real advancement from the first film is that the breed has mutated slightly further and now exhibits a much more advanced capability to mimic human beings.

All the elements of the first film – and countless others – are present, and so the tale is generally told of how Remi uses her superior knowledge of the insect worlds to predict the movements of the creatures, and ultimately outwit them. In true horror/monster movie fashion, the most unpleasant aspects of the insect world are considered and launched on a grand scale. You may recall that one of the most revolting ideas in The Fly revolved around the idea that a fly will vomit on its food first. Similar ideas are toyed with in Mimic 2, but they are neither as effective nor as grisly. Things do tend to become rather predictable too. You quickly realise that a sharp implement seen at some early stage in the film is destined to make a return elsewhere and the same can be applied to some of the gory details of an insect’s life recounted by Remi. This isn’t necessarily an entirely bad thing, but it did rather become a game of trying to predict which bit would come into it next.

The level of horror in Mimic 2 is less than that of the first movie, and overall the sequel is less scary. Much of the suspense and intrigue of Mimic was born of the fact that the viewer was discovering the nature of the beast at the same time as the characters. If you’ve seen the first film, you’ll know exactly what the Judas Breed is, so there really isn’t the same level of anticipation. Mimic was also more effective because the inhabitant of the sewer was being “watched” by a little blind boy, who recognised him only from a curious noise that earned him the label of Mr Funny Shoes. The distinctive noise made by the monsters still occurs in Mimic 2 but it doesn’t have the same appeal.

Mimic 2 employs a similar band of non-characters who get stalked and attacked in increasingly desperate ways by their insect predators. Remi herself is likeable enough, but is rather odd and her demure manner doesn’t lend itself well to the tough cookie into which she is transformed. She is joined in her quest by a young boy and a teenage student, neither of whom are much use and serve only to provide another target for the monster. The police detective is a little too cheesy for my liking but every action film needs a hero and I guess he does the job well enough. I didn’t recognise any of the actors and actresses involved though.

Mimic 2 was actually slightly better than I thought it would be, but only just. There isn’t really enough original material here to merit a second movie and as a horror film, it has only limited appeal. The sequel should really have tried to take things into a completely new territory and I can’t help thinking that the makers went for the easy life and just tried to conjure up more of the same. Fans of the original movie will probably think this one is OK, but everyone else would do well to avoid.

Not recommended
 

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