Mimic 2 (2001)
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Thankfully, she knew that the skeleton wasn’t a mimic. In fact, he was called Bernard.[/caption]
Twitter Plot Summary: Those mimic insect things are back for another go, this time limited to a school and the attention of a rather strange woman.
Remi Panos (Alix Koromzay) is a bug specialist who is unlucky in love — possibly because she spends all of her time talking about creepy crawlies. It may also have something to do with the fact that she has a cupboard full of selfies stuck to the walls, to reflect her emotional reaction to each of her unsuccessful dates with men and other key events in her life. Suffice to say, to most men this would scream “steer clear”, but then that wouldn’t make for much of a story, would it?
After the near-definitive ending of Mimic, where the giant bug threat was resolved by a massive explosion, it goes without saying that the bugs weren’t completely killed off and they are inevitably due to return. It just so happens that they try and make their comeback in Remi’s neighbourhood — rather handy having a bug expert available at such a critical time.
It is a resolutely low budget production, taking place in only a few locations and keeping the creature attacks to a minimum. The development of the mimics is handled far more sensibly than, say the Tremors movies, and restricting the story primarily to the school in which Remi works adds to the claustrophobic feeling as the bugs continue evolving. If there was ever a time to curse Mira Sorvino’s name, now would be the time (and it’s still unclear what happened to her career in the real world).
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There was no stopping Brian Blessed, but she thought she’d give it a try anyway.[/caption]
And believe it or not, this does all work in its favour. By stepping away from the higher budget action thriller template of the original, Mimic 2 gets to play in the same world but carve out its own identity. Here the focus is almost entirely on Remi as she gradually develops into a more rounded (read: normal) personality and becomes a parent figure for the children who are in her care. While you could argue that there’s nothing specifically wrong with being a little bit eccentric, the message in this case is that Remi’s development is a good thing for her as far as relationships go, transitioning from men who smash her door down after one date to a burgeoning relationship with the decent cop investigating a batch of recent murders in the area. From another perspective the story also shows that it doesn’t hurt to show a bit of self belief and stand up for yourself. The metaphor can be stretched to the Mimic Creatures as well, as both they and Remi slowly emerge from their shells. Arf Arf.
Mimic 2 may not be an award winning film and it may not go to the same depths as the original, but it provides a decent story and an interesting arc for the lead character where there is a genuine sense of her undergoing personal development, although thankfully not in the context of an office-based team building exercise. The effects budget may not be amazing and it does inevitably lose some of the mystique of the original, but it still stands on its own two feet. That and the child actors aren’t irritating, which is always a bonus.
Score: 2.5/5
