THE AISLE SEAT - "MIMIC"

by Mike McGranaghan

All my life, I have been uncomfortable around bugs. I find them fascinating, but also kind of gross. When a spider hangs from my ceiling, or a centipede scurries across my floor, or - worst of all - some unidentifiable insect pops up in a cupboard - I am disgusted. Given my squeamishness around bugs, it's no wonder I was totally drawn in by Mimic, a tense new horror film that features gigantic cockroaches. You might want to by-pass the concession stand if you see this one.

Mira Sorvino plays Dr. Susan Tyler, an entomologist working on a cure for an epidemic that is killing children in New York City. The virus is spread by cockroaches, so Tyler and her husband create a new genetic breed - the "Judas breed" - of roach to set loose in the city. The idea is that the new breed will sterilize the regular roaches through mating, then extinguish themselves from existence once the work is done. It initially seems to work, but three years later, members of the Judas breed are found living in the New York subway system.

It gets worse. The roaches are not only breeding, but mutating as well. In the insect world, there are instances of bugs taking on the appearance of their predators - mimicking them. It becomes clear to Tyler that the roaches in the Judas breed are trying to mimic their predators, which, in other words, means they are trying to appear human. Tyler and her crew begin wandering through the underground tunnels trying to kill the roaches and find the single male roach; if they can kill him, there will be no more breeding.

I imagine that Mimic sounds like a cheesy 1950s sci-fi/horror flick about gigantic bugs attacking major cities. You may even wonder what Oscar winners Mira Sorvino and F. Murray Abraham are doing in the cast. Having seen the film, the answer is obvious: they recognized that this is several cuts above your generic creature feature.

Mimic was directed and co-written by Guillermo Del Toro, a Mexican filmmaker whose vampire movie Kronos was a critical success a few years ago. Del Toro is uncommonly talented when it comes to setting an eerie mood. He gives the picture a dark, menacing look. There is a continual sense of impending danger; I found my eyes wandering the screen looking for bugs that might potentially pop out. This is the kind of horror film that keeps you as awake and alert as the on-screen characters who, unlike you, really are in danger.

Many scenes in the movie are effective, especially if bugs make you uneasy. There is a six-foot pod that figures heavily into the action (I won't tell you what's in it); there is a tense scene in which Sorvino sticks her hand into a small hole that she really shouldn't be sticking her hand into; there are moments where bugs spew guts and ooze all over the screen. And how could I forget the manner in which the bugs swoop down and carry people away?

I hope I have not made this sound unpleasant, because Mimic is really a lot of fun. This is a beautifully-made creepshow that works from start to finish. The oozy parts serve only to add tension and fear to the plot. I have seen movies that go overboard on slime and gore. This is not one of them. Although parts of it are admittedly disgusting, it's an enjoyable kind of disgust (if that makes any sense). The film never tries to gross the audience out; instead, it tries to scare you, and it generally succeeded in scaring me. I loved the whole creepy atmosphere of this movie.

It helps that Mimic has a smart script and a talented cast (which also includes Charles S. Dutton and Jeremy Northam). Everything about this film works to create a feeling of uneasiness that many horror films dream of, but few achieve. There were times when the movie made me jump, and other times when I felt myself tense up. The special effects involving the flying roaches are so convincing that I felt a wave of terror whenever they descended upon another innocent victim. Mimic is one of the most effective movies I have seen this year. It's an enjoyably exciting thrill ride that I would like to see again.

In looking for the roaches, Tyler and crew encounter an autistic little boy who can imitate the bugs' noises by clacking two spoons together. It probably goes without saying that this "talent" has the potential to draw the bugs closer. Every time that kid started clacking those spoons, a small chill ran up my spine. Mimic does a brilliant job of setting you on edge with moments like that. It reminds me that - when done with style and intelligence - horror movies are a genuine art form.

( 1/2 out of four)