by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
When one thinks of science fiction, it’s rare that a family film immediately comes to mind. With the exception of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, kids’ films mainly stick to talking woodland creatures and the search for a princess’ true love. Now available on DVD, The Last Mimzy brings sci-fi to the schoolyard, giving many kids their first taste of time travel, telekinesis and artificial intelligence.
Noah Wilder (Chris O’Neil) is your average 10-year old boy. He likes video games and gadgets and is constantly annoyed by his younger sister Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn). Struggling in school, Noah is glad to be on Easter break. Spending a week on Whidbey Island in the family’s beach house and away from tests and books and teachers, especially his science teacher Mr. White (Rainn Wilson).
While playing by the seashore, Noah and Emma find a mysterious box that has washed up onto the beach. Inside it they find strange, otherworldly objects that give them the ability to do amazing things. Noah takes a seashell that gives him super-hearing, allowing him to communicate with spiders. Emma adopts a stuffed bunny named Mimzy, who speaks in a voice only Emma can understand. The kids also discover rocks that float and a crystal slate that lets them move objects with their minds. Like any great toy, the kids decide to keep these strange items to themselves, secretly hiding them in their rooms and playing with them when their parents (Joely Richardson and Timothy Hutton) are asleep. One night, Noah’s experimentation causes a massive blackout, drawing the FBI (headed by Michael Clark Duncan) to their front door to investigate what they think is a terrorist attack. With the help of Mimzy, the kids must find a way to get out of the trouble they are in and possibly save the human race from total extinction.
Through The Last Mimzy DVD’s main menu you can access many bonus features. First are three set-top games lumped under the heading “Interactive Challenge,” with Spider Bridge, Memory Match, and Mandala Mix-Up. Each game has three levels, with each becoming more difficult as you advance. Next is the “Infinifilm Fact Track,” a supplement that allows you to watch the entire film with deleted scenes, expert analysis of the film’s themes, and behind-the-scenes featurettes as it progresses. This can also be combined with the audio commentary track featuring director Bob Shaye. Each supplement can also be viewed individually and can be found in one of two sections: “Beyond the Movie Features” and “All Access Pass Features.” In the former, psychologists, professors, lamas, and other knowledgeable folks talk about the film’s symbolism, science and theories in six shorts totaling nearly a half hour of fascinating conjecture and insight. Much more my speed is the second section, which has about an hour of information covering everything from a director’s profile to the production design to the 12 years it took to develop the story and film. This section also has deleted scenes with optional director commentary and the feature commentary I mentioned above. Rounding out the disc is a music video for former Pink Floyd guitarist Roger Waters’ song “Hello (I Love You)” and some DVD-ROM extras such as the Interactive Viewing Experience and a slew of web links to official Mimzy sites.
The Last Mimzy is a strange little sci-fi film that will appeal to older kids and adults alike. Kids younger than ten probably won’t understand much of anything that goes on in this picture beyond the little girl finding and loving a stuffed rabbit. The characters, particularly inquisitive Emma, have conversations about death and dying that may make some parents of small children uncomfortable. If you’re not ready to have that conversation with your little one, this is not the movie to see at this time. Still, middle-schoolers and above will find this film fascinating. The storyline is complex without being too complicated for kids, showing that you can have a children’s movie that doesn’t talk down to the intended audience. The performances were, for the most part, great. The two leads are particularly surprising, considering this is the first role for O’Neil and the third for Wryn. These kids could easily be the next Dakota Fanning and Haley Joel Osment in a couple of years. The other standout performance comes from TV’s Rainn Wilson, better known as Dwight K. Schrute on The Office, who brings just enough comedy without becoming too goofy. The weakest link in the cast is Michael Clark Duncan, who can’t seem to form any type of expression other than irritation and confusion, as though someone stole his Twinkies from the Craft services table while his back was turned. His lackluster performance aside, The Last Mimzy is a charming family film that will hold the interest of just about any filmgoer with its fast-paced story and talented (for the most part) cast.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
