The Last Mimzy (C or 2/4 stars)
A toy bunny is the key that unlocks a mystery in 'The Last Mimzy', a sci-fi family film directed by Robert Shaye. 2 siblings, Noah (Chris O'Neil) and Emma (Rhiannon Leigh Wryn), start to develop special talents after they find a mysterious box of 'toys' at a beach. Soon enough, the siblings, their parents (Timothy Hutton & Joely Richardson), and their science teacher (Rainn Wilson) are drawn into a strange alternate reality which offers them a chance to change the course of a dying world. The start of the movie is extremely promising. But the story becomes increasingly repetitive & confusing.
The strange 'toys' (or devices) that they find on the beach include some beautiful stones, & a stuffed bunny, named Mimzy. Just prior to the introduction of our characters, we're shown a 1 minute prologue in which a woman, a scientist, and some aliens are attempting, through time travel, to send such 'toys' to Earth with hopes that a human(s) can unhinge the ecological disaster that's ruining their future world {everybody sigh with me now}. Back to Seattle, 2007: Noah & Emma love their new toys, and they keep them a secret for a while. But the secret ends when the FBI deems their 'toys' to be the source of a Seattle power-outage.
In the interim, playing with the 'toys' has caused the children to develop advanced intelligence (Noah's science teacher can't believe how a once substandard student such as Noah was able to create a winning, astounding science project). The children also appear to have some psychic capabilities, and can perform telekinesis! As time goes on, this freaks out their mom, and their babysitter (in a very funny scene). It's Emma's love for Mimzy that triggers her parents, her science teacher, & his philosophical wife (a stellar Kathryn Hahn) into figuring out that Mimzy may be hurting her more than helping. Perhaps Mimzy, and the magical stones need to go bye-bye. Things get very E.T.ish now: the FBI takes over the house, kids are grossly upset, Mimzy is dying, her 'world' is dying, etc.
The inanimate bunny is the 'last' known Mimzy that's been able to reach the 21st century from humanity's future. Mimzy MUST be used and returned to the future after having been handled by the clean, unpolluted DNA of a child (Emma). This story is just too dull & too big for its breeches. And until you hear the 2 minute epilogue, you're never quite sure what the heck's been going on. This film steals from classics such as Alice in Wonderland, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Cocoon, and so on. The child actors are likeable. Joely Richardson & Kathryn Hahn are particularly strong. The story has some charming moments, in a new-age sort of way. But it's not awe-inspiring. This really feels like a 9 yr. olds movie for adults. 'The Last Mimzy' just misses the mark for me.
The strange 'toys' (or devices) that they find on the beach include some beautiful stones, & a stuffed bunny, named Mimzy. Just prior to the introduction of our characters, we're shown a 1 minute prologue in which a woman, a scientist, and some aliens are attempting, through time travel, to send such 'toys' to Earth with hopes that a human(s) can unhinge the ecological disaster that's ruining their future world {everybody sigh with me now}. Back to Seattle, 2007: Noah & Emma love their new toys, and they keep them a secret for a while. But the secret ends when the FBI deems their 'toys' to be the source of a Seattle power-outage.
In the interim, playing with the 'toys' has caused the children to develop advanced intelligence (Noah's science teacher can't believe how a once substandard student such as Noah was able to create a winning, astounding science project). The children also appear to have some psychic capabilities, and can perform telekinesis! As time goes on, this freaks out their mom, and their babysitter (in a very funny scene). It's Emma's love for Mimzy that triggers her parents, her science teacher, & his philosophical wife (a stellar Kathryn Hahn) into figuring out that Mimzy may be hurting her more than helping. Perhaps Mimzy, and the magical stones need to go bye-bye. Things get very E.T.ish now: the FBI takes over the house, kids are grossly upset, Mimzy is dying, her 'world' is dying, etc.
The inanimate bunny is the 'last' known Mimzy that's been able to reach the 21st century from humanity's future. Mimzy MUST be used and returned to the future after having been handled by the clean, unpolluted DNA of a child (Emma). This story is just too dull & too big for its breeches. And until you hear the 2 minute epilogue, you're never quite sure what the heck's been going on. This film steals from classics such as Alice in Wonderland, E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Cocoon, and so on. The child actors are likeable. Joely Richardson & Kathryn Hahn are particularly strong. The story has some charming moments, in a new-age sort of way. But it's not awe-inspiring. This really feels like a 9 yr. olds movie for adults. 'The Last Mimzy' just misses the mark for me.