The thing that seems to drag "Mimic 3: Sentinel" down is obviously a low- budget. Cripplingly low, I would even go so far as to say. You can tell that writer/director JT Petty has a lot of interesting ideas, a unique angle from which to tell the story, and a lot of funky, quirky tricks up his sleeve... but the final product only feels about half-realized. This is quite blatantly a $20 million film that was forced to be produced on a more meager $10 million budget, in order to maximize profits from its direct-to-video/DVD release.
There's so much here that has the potential to work wonderfully. And indeed, there is much about the film that does function and work well. But that issue of a lower budget (and likely a hasty shoot) does betray the material. With more time and money, this very well could have been up to the standard of the original film, which I found particularly well-made and exceedingly enjoyable. However, as it stands, it's just not quite there. It is, however, still extremely watchable and often thrilling and enjoyable, despite its faults.
We follow Marvin (Karl Geary), a 24-year-old man who was one of the last children affected by the dreaded "Strickler's Disease" from the original film. Forced to spend much of his time alone in his room (due to the respiratory hypersensitivity the disease caused him), with only his 35mm camera to entertain him, he has made a habit out of "spying" on his various neighbors and surroundings, taking photos and building collages out of them. However, things take a turn for the strange and twisted when he begins witnessing strange occurrences that may or may not be tied to potential surviving members of the "Judas Breed"- the massive insects that learned how to mimic, blend in and hunt humans. With the help of his sister (Alexis Dziena) and a beautiful neighbor (Rebecca Mader), Marvin attempts to keep an eye out and solve the mystery of what is happening in his neighborhood.
The acting is something of a mixed bag. Geary is obviously trying his hardest, and often he serves as an adequate protagonist, but I frankly found him to be a bit too... out there. I wouldn't go so far as to say "hammy", but I feel he often is putting too much effort. If he was more subdued and subtle, I think his performance would have benefited greatly. Dziena is a lot of fun, but I found her early scenes to be a bit cliché. It isn't until the second half of the film that she really comes to encompass her character and begin to feel likable and compelling. Mader is quite good, though. Very convincing. Very likable. And supporting roles by the likes of Amanda Plummer and even Lance Henriksen are very well-played. Plummer in particular likely giving the best performance of the film.
Petty's script is quite interesting. It's a fairly common fact that Petty took inspiration from Hitchcock's "Read Window" for his screenplay, and I think it's a fascinating direction to take the series. (Particularly after the second film, which I felt was too much of a retread of the original, lacking much soul or identity.) It creates some real suspense and an almost "foreign" atmosphere, which helps to put the audience on edge, as we don't necessarily know what to expect. However, I did find some issues with the writing. Mainly in some wonky dialog early on, and a lack of pay-off in the end. Without spoiling anything, the film's more deliberate pacing early on quickly gives way as we approach the final act, and the climactic scenes feel sort-of out- of-left-field as a result of a sudden change in the pacing. I also felt some of the plot lines weren't particularly well-developed. And occasionally even lacked a coherent payoff.
In contrast, outside of obvious issues caused by time/budget constraints, I found Petty's direction extremely good for the most part. It has a touch of del Toro's flair from the original, while also feeling unique. As with the script, Petty seems inspired by Hitchcock, giving us some wonderfully unsettling long-shots from the point-of-view of Marvin's camera, and lingering shots showing the aftermath of the more brutal scenes. It also has a slight touch of more modern directorial stylings, with a few well-executed sequences that make good use of fast- cutting and "gritty" up-close camera-work. It compliments and contrasts nicely with the more slow and deliberate moments, creating a very cool directorial atmosphere and "character."
It's hard to really compare this film to the original because of the obvious changes in tone, style and storytelling, and obviously because of the low-budget nature of the production. And I do think that there are a few issues in the film that are inherent and not necessarily the result of those budgetary constraints.
But still, I found this to be quite watchable and even generally enjoyable. As far as direct-to-video sequels go, there are some that are better... but this one is definitely worth checking out for fans of the original.
I give this an average 6 out of 10. If you like the first film, check it out. And heck, even if you just like Hitchcockian style films, it might even be worth seeing once.
There's so much here that has the potential to work wonderfully. And indeed, there is much about the film that does function and work well. But that issue of a lower budget (and likely a hasty shoot) does betray the material. With more time and money, this very well could have been up to the standard of the original film, which I found particularly well-made and exceedingly enjoyable. However, as it stands, it's just not quite there. It is, however, still extremely watchable and often thrilling and enjoyable, despite its faults.
We follow Marvin (Karl Geary), a 24-year-old man who was one of the last children affected by the dreaded "Strickler's Disease" from the original film. Forced to spend much of his time alone in his room (due to the respiratory hypersensitivity the disease caused him), with only his 35mm camera to entertain him, he has made a habit out of "spying" on his various neighbors and surroundings, taking photos and building collages out of them. However, things take a turn for the strange and twisted when he begins witnessing strange occurrences that may or may not be tied to potential surviving members of the "Judas Breed"- the massive insects that learned how to mimic, blend in and hunt humans. With the help of his sister (Alexis Dziena) and a beautiful neighbor (Rebecca Mader), Marvin attempts to keep an eye out and solve the mystery of what is happening in his neighborhood.
The acting is something of a mixed bag. Geary is obviously trying his hardest, and often he serves as an adequate protagonist, but I frankly found him to be a bit too... out there. I wouldn't go so far as to say "hammy", but I feel he often is putting too much effort. If he was more subdued and subtle, I think his performance would have benefited greatly. Dziena is a lot of fun, but I found her early scenes to be a bit cliché. It isn't until the second half of the film that she really comes to encompass her character and begin to feel likable and compelling. Mader is quite good, though. Very convincing. Very likable. And supporting roles by the likes of Amanda Plummer and even Lance Henriksen are very well-played. Plummer in particular likely giving the best performance of the film.
Petty's script is quite interesting. It's a fairly common fact that Petty took inspiration from Hitchcock's "Read Window" for his screenplay, and I think it's a fascinating direction to take the series. (Particularly after the second film, which I felt was too much of a retread of the original, lacking much soul or identity.) It creates some real suspense and an almost "foreign" atmosphere, which helps to put the audience on edge, as we don't necessarily know what to expect. However, I did find some issues with the writing. Mainly in some wonky dialog early on, and a lack of pay-off in the end. Without spoiling anything, the film's more deliberate pacing early on quickly gives way as we approach the final act, and the climactic scenes feel sort-of out- of-left-field as a result of a sudden change in the pacing. I also felt some of the plot lines weren't particularly well-developed. And occasionally even lacked a coherent payoff.
In contrast, outside of obvious issues caused by time/budget constraints, I found Petty's direction extremely good for the most part. It has a touch of del Toro's flair from the original, while also feeling unique. As with the script, Petty seems inspired by Hitchcock, giving us some wonderfully unsettling long-shots from the point-of-view of Marvin's camera, and lingering shots showing the aftermath of the more brutal scenes. It also has a slight touch of more modern directorial stylings, with a few well-executed sequences that make good use of fast- cutting and "gritty" up-close camera-work. It compliments and contrasts nicely with the more slow and deliberate moments, creating a very cool directorial atmosphere and "character."
It's hard to really compare this film to the original because of the obvious changes in tone, style and storytelling, and obviously because of the low-budget nature of the production. And I do think that there are a few issues in the film that are inherent and not necessarily the result of those budgetary constraints.
But still, I found this to be quite watchable and even generally enjoyable. As far as direct-to-video sequels go, there are some that are better... but this one is definitely worth checking out for fans of the original.
I give this an average 6 out of 10. If you like the first film, check it out. And heck, even if you just like Hitchcockian style films, it might even be worth seeing once.