The Last Mimzy (2007)
Runtime: 90 mins
Theatrical Release: Mar 23, 2007 Wide
Box Office: $21,426,088
Synopsis: Two kids find a bizarre box on the beach and are soon exhibiting signs of off-the-chart genius in this gently mind-blowing fantasy film. Little Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) finds a cute bunny doll in the box, who talks to her in electronic code, and Noah (Chris O'Neil) learns to speak in a... Two kids find a bizarre box on the beach and are soon exhibiting signs of off-the-chart genius in this gently mind-blowing fantasy film. Little Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn) finds a cute bunny doll in the box, who talks to her in electronic code, and Noah (Chris O'Neil) learns to speak in a frequency that lets him control spiders. The kids learn to move objects via psychokinesis and communicate telepathically. Naturally, their parents (Timothy Hutton and Joely Richardson) wonder what is going on here. Noah's science teacher (Rainn Wilson) has dreams predicting all this, centered on a mandala symbol from ancient Tibetan Buddhism, which Noah draws in class. Michael Clarke Duncan is suitably dour as the Homeland Security official who investigates when the kids' newfound power creates a major blackout across Seattle. Parents who cringe at the vulgarity of many kid films will certainly appreciate LAST MIMZY's sweet-natured awe towards the natural world and its inhabitants, which comes without extraneous action or excessive musical bombast. The film moves with a poetic grace, calling attention to environmental and social problems without preaching, and creating the possibility for a genuinely better world. The child actors are real naturals who are allowed to talk and sound like kids, and car chases and explosions are all but absent in place of genuine mystery and excitement about human potential. It's rare to find a sci-fi film that makes the future seem worth saving, so consider this one a true gem. [More]
Genre: Childrens
Starring: Timothy Hutton, Chris O'Neil, Rainn Wilson, Patrick Gilmore, Joely Richardson
Screenwriter: Bruce Joel Rubin, Toby Emmerich
Producer: Michael Phillips
Composer: Howard Shore
DVD Info
Release:
Jul 10, 2007
DVD Features:
- Keep Case
- Full Frame
Audio:
- (unspecified) - English
Additional Release Material:
- Behind the Scenes
- Deleted Scenes
- Featurettes
Additional Product:
- HAIRSPRAY Movie Money
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
I like to refer to it as "Donnie Darko" sans the violence if aimed towards kids...
Considering that parts are frightening, parts are nauseatingly sweet, and it's all confusing, it's not clear which demographic Mimzy is aiming for.
O'Neil and Wryn convey the occult and the mysterious with greater depth than you'd expect them to possess at their respective ages of 13 and 7.
For much of its scant 96 minutes Mimzy is rudderless in a muddle of metaphysical malarkey and time-travelling science fiction.
...tries hard to be magical, charming, and endearing but remains mostly flat and lifeless.
A timely cautionary tale, even if its heartwarming message gets a little garbled along the way.
Incidentally, forget the toys, which seem to be upstaged by Wilson's underwear, reportedly the most expensive drawers ever in a movie.
Despite its attempt at being well-meaning family genre fare a la E.T., The Last Mimzy simply collapses under the considerable weight of its many bewildering plot elements.
It's a confused and confusing affair, though not without its felicitous moments.
Please enjoy this with your family and consider renting this when it comes out.
Perhaps those futuristic folks could send another Mimzy back in time to a better filmmaker like Joe Dante, who can do a better film adaptation of Padgett's story and beat Shaye to the punch.
New Line powerbroker/director Robert Shaye has made a children's film for stoners, a trippy, psychedelic fable that belongs in the DVD section of New Age bookstores alongside the strangely similar What The Fuck Do We Know?
Unlike E.T., Mimzy isn't wrinkly or strange or even very mobile, nothing that might frighten the All-American youngsters who discover her on a beach near Seattle.
The flimsy story benefits from strong performance by the adults and an adorable one by Wryn. A cute kid can cover for a multitude of structural flaws.
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by: raymel1 7/13/07
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