A breed of cockroaches is spreading a disease which is killing the children of Manhattan. Entomologist Susan Tyler and partner Peter Mann create a genetic variant known as the Judas Breed to kill off the disease carriers; however, instead of having a limited lifespan as expected, they mutate over time into something quite different and infinitely more dangerous. Now they are the size of people, fly, and can mimic the look of a human - potentially their greatest predator and certainly their greatest prey. Genetic engineering has changed evolutionary dominance. Whilst Susan is taken by one of the creatures, Peter descends into the bowels of the city, with only a city cop as guide, in an attempt to put things right. But they aren’t the only ones to have put themselves in danger...

Although I received this disc considerably late from the marketing company - via the all-powerful editor, my review has admittedly been a long time coming. I wanted to give this Blu-ray Special Edition disc the time and effort it deserves. I am a committed follower of the work of Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro. Ever since John Carpenter went in to retirement, Del Toro has been the new kid on the block, as far as I’m concerned, and probably the best inventive talent behind the camera. Although the great Carpenter does have a tendency to raise his head every so often to show who’s boss (not that he’d ever say it). Similarly, I just hope that Del Toro doesn’t listen to people like me and think that anything he turns out will turn to gold. It hasn’t happened yet; we’ve had a number of Spanish language films (Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone, and the fantastic Pan’s Labyrinth), and those made for the Hollywood market (Blade II, Hellboy, and Hellboy 2).

Mimic, released in 1997, was Del Toro’s first film for an English-speaking American audience. Fan forums have often quoted the man as disliking the film because of certain cuts enforced on him by the film company. His take on the subject on the Extras is that he could have walked away from the project, but felt the cuts were not too detrimental to the overall structure of the film. Having said that, he is much more enthusiastic about this Director’s Cut. It’s amazing how re-arranging a few scenes and cutting (or extending) in different places can strengthen a movie, and that’s exactly what’s happened here. I would say the opening scenes are stylishly eerie, while the middle section just manages to avoid cliche. The main scenes once the players are underground are extremely well-handled, building both character and suspense, and the creatures are strengthened by the fact they are always half in darkness. By no means is this the best of Del Toro’s output, but it’s a highly entertaining viewing experience in its own right.

What makes this Blu-ray extra special is the abundance of extra features. There is a Video Prologue with Guillermo Del Toro; a director’s Audio Commentary; Reclaiming Mimic Featurette; The Creatures of Mimic Featurette; a Shooting Mimic Featurette; Deleted Scenes; Storyboard Animatics; a Gag Reel, and Trailer.

8

Ty Power